Sleepless Nights
by TotallyRandomADHDChick
Summary: Tiffany Silvers ran from her Texas prep school to escape her dirty past. Too bad that the past can never be outrun.
1. Cold

Author's Note : Still working on True Damnation, no worries. I'm just feeling Covenant-y.

Timeline : I'm mixing it up a bit. They were all juniors when Chase showed up and did his bad mojo. Now, they're all seniors.

Chapter 1;

You know the worst thing about moving to Massachusetts? The cold and the rain. Back in Texas, it was never cold, and the rain was warm and light and enjoyable. Here? It was cold and the rain fell in sheet, and I couldn't see a damn thing, and I was wet and cold – did I say cold already?

I _hate _the cold.

However, I think I'd hate dying a bit more, so here I am, suffering the cold and swallowing my complaints. Well, okay, maybe not swallowing the complaints. I'm known for speaking my mind, which is ironic, considering the secrets I carry.

I slid the key into the lock, and was satisfied with the light click that I heard. I returned the key to back under my shirt, where it hung from a long necklace, opened the door and picked up my other suitcase. I only had two, each a black color with hot pink cursive scrawled across the front. They read 'Christine'; my name is Tiffany.

Well, Tiffany Daniella Silver, but whatever. Point is? I'm a girl whose own mother forgot her name. See, when my mom bought the luggage, she bought with my step-sister's name on it. Kinda embarrassing, but again, whatever. Its functional and durable, and that's all I care about.

I hefted both bags onto the bed and then spilled onto the mattress myself, pleasantly surprised when I didn't break my ass on it. The last boarding school I was at was, well, not nearly as nice. The room I was in now had two beds, two dressers, two desks and a bathroom with the door wide open. Two vanities and two sinks were visible from where I sat. The closet looked to be big, so no reason for two.

Someone had left their side of the room a mess. Clothes were tossed on the bed, which was unmade, its bright pink sheets half on and half off the bed. A few texts books were sitting on my desk, and a phone, a lamp, and a laptop were on the other person's desk. The closet was open, showing there was, indeed, a need for two.

Since I'm a neat freak, it was the second worst thing at the moment.

The first?

Everything was fluffy and furry and friggin' hot pink.

All. Of. It.

I was tempted to flick the too-large black sunglasses back over my eyes, but figured it'd be a bad first impression for whoever my new roommate was. Instead, I stood, took the text books off my desk and put the on the other girls. Then I slipped the leather laptop strap other my head and set it on the desk, though I didn't get out the actual laptop.

Then I made my way back to my suitcases and opened the one that held things _other _than clothes. The first thing I saw was the picture of myself, Jesse and Joy. Jesse and Joy were twins, brother and sister, and my two best friends. Rather, they _were _my best friends. Now they were kinda dead, which was the reason I'd moved. Correction, the reason my mother made me move; I'd have rather stayed and hunted down they're killer.

I set the picture up on the bedside table, then pushed the smaller suitcase under the bed. Nothing in there that I wanted except books, more pictures and jewelry that was passed through the family. I opened the other suitcase and began pulled out my clothes. Everything was rolled up, even my underwear – have I mentioned I'm a neat freak?

I made the trip fast, pulling open one of my drawers – the bottom one – and depositing the underwear on the left, the socks on the right, and the bras as a barrier in the middle. I closed it and opened the middle on next, then took a trip to and from the bed to put my sleep wear in the drawer. All silk shorts and tank tops. So sue me, even I like to be a girl sometimes.

My jeans and regular shirts, which consisted mostly of tank tops, short sleeve shirts, went in the top drawer. The clothes I owed just demonstrated how used to the warm Texas climate I was. I owned one jacket, which was currently on me because I was cold in the tank top I was wearing. I owned one pair of leather gloves, and only because sometimes, like one month out of the year, the winter was cold.

Damn, I missed home.

I dropped the boots and tennis shoes over the bed, and debated whether or not to change from the flip flops I was wearing into the shoes. Nope, took too much work. Instead, I collected my purse from the bottom of the suitcase, shoved said empty case under the bed, and left the room. I locked it on my way out, then made my way towards my car.

I flipped the huge sunglasses over my eyes as I left the building, even though, to me, the sun wasn't very bright. Back home, early September, late August, would have everyone in shorts and a tank top. Here, it was seventy degrees. A cold seventy, at that, because of the cold wind.

I stepped into the silver Dodge Ram, having to grab hold of the handle up at the top to get in. My eldest step-brother, Jacob, had recently gotten a new one for his twenty-first birthday, so I, the second oldest at sixteen, was gifted with it. Too bad that it was too big, too loud, and too much money to keep full of gas.

I winced as I started the damn thing. The roar, something I normally smiled at, drew the eyes of everyone nearby. The sound made me giggle a lot, or used to, but now? The eyes that the sound attracted made me feel...weird. Like I was an exhibit at a zoo or something. Didn't help that there wasn't a single other truck in the lot.

The roar continued down the road as I drove into the small town, and I swear to the lord, I'm selling this truck. Not only is it loud, but trucks didn't fit in here, and really, what five foot two girl needs a huge truck? Not this one.

I pulled into the first parking lot I could find. The town was small, which meant that I could walk to most of the stores. It took me a few seconds to jump out of the truck, because I was tiny compared to the huge thing, but my feet finally made it to the ground. Yep, the truck had to go.

I glanced behind me, shuffling the name of the building – Nicky's – into the back of my mind. I wanted to sell the truck, not lose it. Then I jogged across the street, wishing I had worn tennis shoes, and followed the sidewalk. The first thing I passed was an Inn, then next a small convenient store.

The door chimed cutely as I passed through the door, and I blinked at the neon lights that glowed bright orange. Then a glanced around and grabbed a basket, and passed by the hardware – who had hardware in a convenient store?

I grabbed a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash and floss, the first things I came upon, and soon added two brushes to my basket. There was some cheap vanilla scented shampoo and condition available, which would have to do until I got to a supermarket or something. Next came baby blue nail clippers, something I was forever needing. My nails grew fast, and I always chipped them.

I pondered what else I needed, then wandered down, looking for deodorant, soap or makeup, whichever came first. Deodorant it was, a cinnamon scented (what happened to scentless?), followed by soap, some off brand I've never heard of. Not that I, you know, know a lot of soap brands...

I found no makeup, and headed up to the only register I saw, the pharmacist. "Do I check out here?" My voice was low and accented, and he blinked, as if wondering where I was from.

Sure enough, he smiled and nodded, "Yeah, that will be fine." He unloaded the items and passed them under the scanner. "New around here, I take it?" He inquired.

Point one for Dani. "Yep, just moved up from Texas," My voice was softer than his, and my vowels different, I observed. "Going to Spencer Academy, now." I was also missing the 'g' off 'ing'.

"You just transferred in?" A voice behind me questioned, and I resisted the urge to jump and scream. Damn quiet people!

I turned a bit to look at the guy next to me, and holy shit, double take. Tall, dark and brooding, and a total piece of eye candy. Please tell me you're single. And please, please, take off that shirt and let me look...Mentally shaking the thoughts away, I responded with an intelligent, "Uh-huh."

He blinked at me, and I added, "I'm a senior this year." A charming smile on his part, and there I go melting. "Tiffany Silvers, but everyone calls me either Tiffy or Dani."

His eyebrows raised, "Caleb Danvers at your service." His smile brightened a bit, and I smiled in return. "I'm a senior at Spencer, as well."

"Cool." I smiled at him, "At least there'll be one friendly face."

He chuckled, "Most everyone there is pretty welcoming. I doubt you'll find many angry faces."

I saw about to say something back – dare I saw flirt? - when the man behind the counter cleared his throat. "That comes to seventy three, seventy eight."

Holy freakin' hell. That's a lot of money for small things. I unzipped my little jean purse and pulled out my leather wallet, another one of Jacob's hand me downs, and pulled out the 'emergency' credit card from my mother. I swiped and signed, then gathered my bag.

"See ya, Caleb Danvers." I teased over my shoulder as I left, the door chiming behind me.

If all the guys were this hot, then maybe Spencer wouldn't be so bad.


	2. Pretty Boys and Keys

Author's Note: Anyone wanna help? I have no idea who to put Tiffany with, though Tyler's in the lead right now. Also, I need plot help, reviews and a title.

A note on the characters. Reid and Tyler may seem OOC, but really, the movie didn't focus much on them, so I'm pretty much free to do what I want. Okay?

Chapter Two;

Hot guys could never make up for the hell I was destined to endure this year. My roommate, a girl named Kyra – Kyra with a 'y', thank you very much, the bitch – was a total snob, a whore, a bitch, a...a...well, other nasty descriptive words that I won't be troubled to think. Because ,dammit, I am above her. I will not resort to her level.

I glance over at the bed, where she's passed out, her hair in hot pink rollers. God, she's tall, slender, with lush, curly brown hair and dark blue eyes. Pretty, a real pretty girl, except she opens her mouth and then all beauty left.

God, what a bitch.

I rolled from the top of the bed, and wandered over to my dresser. I exchanged my silk shorts for a pair of dark sweatpants, and tugged on a different tank top. The one good thing about having a small b-cup? The build in bras on tank tops actually work for me. The bad part? I have, like, no boobs.

I grabbed my flip flops and slipped them on, and snatched my iPod, a pencil and my art pad. Then I left the room, tucking the iPod into my jeans and the pencil behind my ear. I ended up in the main living area of the third floor, and I tossed my art pad on the footrest, and followed that by my pencil and iPod.

Then I went behind the food bar and rummaged through, finding hot chocolate close at hand. Half water and half milk were poured in a mug and stuck on a minute in the microwave, and soon, I had chocolaty goodness for my midnight snack.

I curled up at the end of the couch, tucking my feet under my butt as I flipped open my sketch pad. I moved past the random images, and came upon a random blank page. I took a sip of the drink and put it on the glass side table, then proceeded to sketch out the first shape that took hold in my mind.

A half hour and one cup of hot chocolate later, Caleb Danvers stared at me from paper. I'd gotten rid of the store background, giving him white instead. I don't know why, but I suck at backgrounds. Big objects, though? I can do those. Like Danvers, for instance. It looked exactly like him.

I glanced at the time on my iPod, and winced. Twelve thirty already, and I had class tomorrow at nine. Damn insomnia made it impossible for a good nights sleep, but made for a lot of good sketches. Still, tired or not, I had to at least try and sleep now.

I stood and tucked my iPod back in my pants, placed the cup by the sink (no way was I washing right now) and stuck the pencil behind my ear. I flipped the sketch pad closed, and tucked it under my arm once more. Then I made my way back to my room, promising I would at least try and sleep.

* * *

Six hours later, I was up, awake and alert. Six thirty, my clock read, and I sighed. That left me around two hours to get ready, which was plenty of time. I grabbed a towel and made sure my key was around my neck, then made my way to the showers.

The rooms were empty except for a group of girls leaving, all looking like zombies. They ignored me as I passed by, which wasn't that surprising. I was the invisible girl back home, and the only people who paid attention to me at school before were Jesse and Joy, and guys who wanted to sleep with me. Other than that? I was a ghost.

I stripped and turned the shower on hot, and scrubbed myself as fast as possible. Twenty minutes later, I was back in my room, smelling like vanilla and cinnamon, dressed only in a towel. Kyra seemed to be waking up, so I grabbed my clothes and bolted for the bathroom as fast as possible.

I slipped into my clothes, and looked at myself in the mirror for a second. A short gray uniform skirt, a white collared shirt and nothing more, not even makeup. I didn't need any, though. My skin was tan and flawless, thanks to genetics. Maybe mascara would be helpful, but I wasn't gonna touch Kyra's, no frickin' way.

I did, however, grab her blow dryer and my own brush. I curled the shoulder long strands around the brush, then hit high on the little machine. It didn't take long, since the blow dryer was, apparently, a very nice, very expensive, very efficient one. I'd have to get one like it.

I might be cheap on most things, but my hair is my pride and glory. Rich dark brown, with golden and red natural highlights, it was always straight, always shinny and didn't require much work. I had to cut it once a month, and sometimes wash it twice to get the shine – a.k.a oil – dulled, but whatever. I still had really pretty hair.

Which was, ya know, good. The rest of me was pretty plain. I was tanned and my complexion was good, but I was also short, slender as a reed, and had long, bony fingers. My eyes were a plain gray color, and my smile was crooked. I was way in shape, but everyone could be, if they wanted. Nothing special 'bout that.

I cracked open the door and sighed with relief. Kyra-with-a-'y' was gone, and I was free of having to deal with her bitchy highness. I plopped down on my bed and pulled on the knee high socks, then the red tie. The only reason I even knew how to get one on was because Jacob had shown me, bless his skinny ass.

I slipped on the shinny black shoes, grabbed my sketch pads – one for faces, one for places – and shoved them in my bag. My iPod and cell phone, the latter rarely used, joined the other items in the front pouch of the black bag. I grabbed my black blazer, made sure my hair was good, and slung my bag over my shoulder.

I took the stairs, since I didn't want to become a fat lard, and ended up in the main lobby of the dorm building. The room had people in it, but at seven thirty in the morning, most were still getting up. I tossed my bag at the end of the couch, claiming my spot, and went to go grab some coffee and an apple.

Seconds later, I was sipping a nonfat mocha latte and had my feet crossed under me, shoes on the floor in front of the couch. I put the apple on one knee and held the coffee with both hands, not wanting to spill anything on myself.

People watching is probably my favorite sport, or at least equivalent to sport, outside of art. Human beings are mostly unpredictable, but if you watch long enough, you can learn about them, become able to predict what they're going to do, all without ever talking to them. And talking? Not my strong point. I'm kinda – a lot – awkward around people.

I jumped a bit when someone plopped down next to me, then froze, hoping that my coffee would just keep licking at the edges of the cup and not spill. Oh, lucky me, no spillage today.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." The guy next to me apologized, and I turned to look at him...and felt my eyes widen.

Damn, but I was right. This entire school was made up of pretty guys. This one was dark haired, with bright blue eyes and a face prettier than mine. Why do guys always get the ridiculously long eyelashes? Aren't girls supposed to be the prettier ones?

"Hello?" I blinked as he snapped his finger in front of my face. Now he looked a bit confused, and why was he holding my apple?

"Sorry, guess I just don't work well in the morning," I joked, taking the apple from his outstretched hand. What in the world do you say to a guy this hot without sounding like a fool?

"How about your name?" He asked, his smile growing wider. Oh shit, did I say that out loud? Looking at his grin, I could only guess that, yeah, I said it out loud.

"T-Tiffany Silvers," I offered, then smiled a bit, very shyly. I'm not shy, or I never was, so why am I shy around this guy? "But everyone calls me Tiffy, and some call me Dani."

"I understand where Tiffy came from, but where did Dani appear from?" He asked, the corners of his eyes crinkling in laughter. Yee Gods, entering red hot zone here.

It took me a second to register his question. Then I blinked, "I used to go by my middle name – Daniella – and soon, I was going by Dani." I shrugged, then asked, "And isn't it polite to introduce yourself as well, or do you guys have a different set of rules here in the north?" I smiled, hoping that he knew I was teasing.

"Sorry." he smiled and moved to hold out his hand, "Tyler Simms, at your service." I twisted around, still careful of my coffee, and shook his hand. Warm skin, strong grip, and dang, please please tell me your single.

That time, I was careful not to say it aloud. "So I'm gonna take a wild guess, Tyler Simms, and say your a senior here?"

"You've guessed right," He smiled as he said it, and really, some things should be outlawed. Like him. Smiling. At me. "You just transferred in as a senior?" He made that into a question.

"Yeah, came straight up from the sun and heat of Texas to this little mopey town." I then winced at my words, "Not that this little town is bad or anything, but..."

"You don't like the cold very much. Or, I'm guessing, the rain." He finished for me, and I smiled at him.

"Exactly. Back home, it rained maybe once every two or three months, and never in the summer. I've been here two days, and its rained at night, both mornings and, well, you get the point." I explained with a scowl.

He was chuckling by the end of my statement, or maybe at my face. I've been told that watching me glare or scowl is like watching a bird try to walk. Funny and totally useless for the bird, or rather, me. "You get used to it, you really do."

"Maybe, but on the other hand, I'm only here for a year," I shrugged, then finished off the coffee, setting the Styrofoam cup on the table beside me. I bit into the apple, still watching Tyler.

Then I spotted someone coming in through the doors, and apparently, so did Tyler. The guy turned and waved at Caleb Danvers, who caught sight of us and walked over to perch on the coffee table. "Hey, Tyler." Then he turned his smile to me, "Tera, right?"

Tyler smiled and kind of laughed, but I was expecting it. I wasn't termed the invisible girl because people remembered my name. "Actually, Tiffany, but hey, you got the first letter right." I corrected him with a smile. "And I go by Tiffy, if you were wondering."

"Oh." He seemed at a loss for what to say, and Tyler was laughing full out now. Apparently, Danvers didn't make mistakes like that.

"No worries, Danvers. You're so not the first person to forget my name," An idea hit me. "In fact, I bet you ten bucks that my roommate doesn't even remember who I am."

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Tyler cut in smoothly, "You're too pretty for someone not to remember."

"Aw, you're sweet, but totally full of shit," I told him point blank, causing Caleb to break into laughter this time. "And hey, look, here she comes now."

I unfurled my feet from the couch and stood, though Kyra, around nine inches past five feet, was a whole lot taller than me. "Hey, Christine, can I borrow your key?"

"Christine?" I looked around me, eyebrows rising, "I don't think there's a Christine around here, at least not one with the key to the room."

I wondered if that smile would eventually break her face, it was so wide, perfect and fake. "Look, I just need your key for a second. I lost mine." She just totally ignored the fact she got my name wrong, didn't she?

I pulled the chain out from under my shirt, which held my key. "This key?" Then I pulled her key out from my pocket, "Or this key?"

Her eyes widened, "Why the hell do you have my key?"

I could hear the two boys snickering behind me. "Well, see, I needed ammunition. You aren't going to listen to me unless I force you, and I really want you to listen to me. Ya get it?"

"I listened to you. You were just unreasonable." Kyra argued, eyes on her key. She looked like a drowned rat, her brown hair messy from sleep, dressed only in tiny shorts and a tank top. She probably had doubled back to the room after forgetting her towel, only to find she couldn't get into the room.

"Well, I guess that's it for the key." I moved to put it back in my pocket. She jerked, as if to stop me. "Unless you want to agree with my 'unreasonable' demands?"

"Okay, okay, just give me the key." She hissed at me, losing her smile as her face flamed bright red. The people around us were laughing.

"Next time, you call to clear it with me when you're brining your boyfriend over. And you aren't to put your crap on my side of the room. Or, hey, have sex in front of me. That's a biggie." I told her, dangling the key in front of her.

"Okay, fine, I agree. I'll call, I'll keep my stuff to my half. I got it." She was getting desperate now, and I was tempted to hold out longer. Still, people were coming into the room faster, and I wanted to set down rules, not topple her from her social throne.

"Here ya go. And remember that you agreed to the rules." I told her cheerfully, dropping the key into her hand.

"Bitch," She hissed at me, grabbing the key and bolting to the elevator. I smirked, not bothered by her hissed adjective, and fell back to the couch in my prior position.

"You are my new hero." Tyler informed me, his smile wide.

Caleb slammed high fives with him. "That was priceless. I totally wished Sarah was here to see it."

I wasn't sure what to say to any of that, and thank god I didn't have to, because a blonde haired girl threw herself at Caleb a second later, giving him a kiss. I watched with wide eyes, then the girl drew back and asked, "Wished I seen what? Kyra getting her butt abused by the new girl?"

The blonde girl twisted in Danver's arms, holding her hand out to me with a bright, toothy smile. "Sarah Wenham, and you just totally made my year."

I let loose a light laugh, "Tiffy Silvers, and I hope I didn't just throw all my social credits down the drain."

"Just stick with me and my roommate and you'll be fine." Sarah told me, giving me a wink as well. The girl was sweet, and she just had this air about her that made me want to be friends with her.

"I'd be the roommate," A dark haired girl with mocha skin joined us, holding out her hand, "Kate Tunney." Kate flicked a glance at Caleb, "Where's Pogue?"

"Said something about family business, and that he would be a little late." Caleb said with a shrug of his shoulders. I wondered if it were really family business, then felt guilty for automatically judging. Just because my ex was a douche bag didn't mean all boyfriends were.

"So what was with Kyra and you anyway?" Kate asked, pushing Tyler to the side and sitting by me.

"She's rude, a bitch, and has treated me like crap for the twelve hours that I've known her." I shrugged, "So, I stole her key and made her agree with my rules in revenge. Plus, this way, I'll have enough warning to leave the room when her boy toy comes over."

"Aaron Abbott," Kate told me, and I raised an eyebrow, "That's her boyfriend, and the number one guy to stay away from in this school. He treats women like total crap."

I smiled at her, "Thanks for the warning. Any other people I should avoid?"

We sat and talked for around an hour, then people started really coming into the lobby. I stood and brushed myself off, "Hey, I've gotta go pick up my schedule, okay?"

Tyler blinked up at me, only half awake now. "Want me to show you where?"

I shook my head, "Naw, I'm cool. I was just there yesterday, picking my classes."

"Cool. See you later, then." He said with a grin, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"See y'all." I told them all, getting various byes as I left.

00000

I had art for the first period, English for second, and calculus third, followed by gym. Each period was two hours, but it was a Block schedule, which meant I would be having those classes every other day. On B day, I would have government and economics for first period, advanced chemistry for second, and home economics third, with study hall after those. Eight hours of school, on a block schedule, oh the joy.

I plopped down in the seat at the back of the room just as the bell rang. The class was pretty empty, since most people had gotten their fine arts credit out of the way early in the year. There were maybe fifteen students in total, and most looked bored out of their mind. Then the door opened and, surprise, Tyler Simms stepped into the room.

"Sorry I'm late, Mrs. Mirella." He spoke bashfully, and I wondered if he would get off.

Mrs. Mirella popped her hands on her plump hips and narrowed her eyes, "I'm giving you this one, Mr. Simms, Mr. Garwin, because its still so early in the school year. Don't be late again."

I was confused for a second, then Tyler moved and a blonde boy stepped into the room. Another cute one, though he was blonde and pale, and an inch or so shorter than his friend. He also looked a whole lot like trouble, and was that an earring?

"No worries, Mrs. M. Won't happen again." The blonde spoke and dang, did all these boys have voices made for sex? Cause it sure seemed like it.

Tyler spotted me and smiled, and I gave a quick grin back. The two made their way over to sit at the table in front of me, and the Garwin boy took the chair in front of me as the teacher began talking.

"Today, I want you to just do a free draw. Show me your level of skill, if you have a level." Mrs. Mirella said shortly, as if talking in front of snotty teenagers pained her, then took her seat behind her desk once more.

The blonde haired boy swirled in his chair to face me. "So I hear you're the girl who told off Kyra this morning," He started in a conversation tone.

"Yep," I flashed him a small smile, holding out my hand, "Tiffany Silvers, but you can call my Tiffy."

"Reid Garwin," Instead of shaking my head, he kissed the back of it, and winked up at me. I giggled and my smile grew. He was probably trying to flirt, but he came off more as joking.

I unzipped my bag and pulled out my art pad, then frowned. "Do either of y'all have a pencil?"

Tyler swirled around in his own chair and offered me one, "First day of a new school, and you've already forgotten something?" He was teasing me. Since when did guys do that? Except Jesse, of course.

"Yeah, but she also told off Kyra. That excuses her from any and all mistakes," Reid joked, watching as I flipped through my pad. "Hey, you're pretty good." His hand shot out and stopped on the page from last night. Caleb's face stared up at us, smiling and perfect. "Hey, Tyler. Look at this."

Tyler leaned over, and I felt my face burn bright red. "Wow. Looks almost like a photo." He said with raised eyebrows, "When did you draw this?"

"Last night," I shrugged, "I couldn't sleep, and I remembered him from the store and thought, why not draw him?"

"So you did this without a model? Just from memory?" Reid asked, looking surprised when I nodded, "I might not know a lot about art, but I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say that's pretty damn good."

"I think good is an understatement." Tyler commented with a slow smile. "If you can do this without a model, what can you do with one?"

I hesitated, "I don't have any in this book, but I can draw you guys if you'd like."

"Sure, that'd be cool," Reid smirked, "Maybe you can even make Tyler a bit prettier on paper."

"Shut up, Reid." Tyler snapped, glaring at him.

I ignored them as I put pencil to paper, wondering if the school was as bad as I'd first envisioned it.


	3. Sleeping Arrangements

Author's Note : Once again, I'm still working on True Damnation. This story is just easier to write, because I don't have to worry about a whole new cast of vampy characters.

Also, her past is going to play a huge part in this. In fact, we're going to see some of it in this chapter, near the end, but just a little.

Chapter Three;

_November_

I glanced in the mirror and ran a hand through my hair, wondering if I should add any more make up, or if the mascara and lip gloss was enough. "Are you sure that this is enough?" I asked the blonde girl next to me skeptically.

Sarah wore a green summer dress, with blush, eyeshadow and mascara, not to mention lipstick. "Tiffy, it looks _fine. _You don't need that much makeup."

I sighed and glanced in the mirror again. My hair was curled today, thanks to Sarah and her amazing, magic curling iron. The curls bounced around me, looking, dare I say it, _sexy. _I wore a black tank top with glitter on the straps, and a pair of low slung dark blue jeans.

I stepped back and moved to sit on my bed, running a hand down my flat stomach as I did so. The tank top was one that bared my stomach. Kate had talked me into it, though I have no idea how. I mean, jeez, its sixty down here during the hottest part of the day, and here I am, wearing a short top at night.

"Hey, slip this on," Kate called as she tossed something onto my bed. The belt made a metallic sound as it clanged together, and I raised my eyebrows at it.

It had a huge buckle, with black leather as the belt. Rhinestones and silver outlined the actual belt, and the thing gleamed in the light of the room. "Where was this? I've been looking for it everywhere." I'd bought it at a small boutique in Dallas, and it was favorite belt.

"Back of the closet, under Kyra's clothes." Kate informed me, voice full of disgust.

Ever since that first day with the key, Kyra-with-a-'y' had been out to get me. She spilled coffee on my homework, 'accidentally' washed my white clothes with her red, and dropped my blow dryer in the bathtub. Of course, I did crap back, like replace her top brand name shampoo and conditioner with off brand, reset her alarm, took her key (again), and dropped most of her makeup into the sink full of water.

"Figures," I intoned dryly, shoving the belt through the loops of my jeans. "Hey, toss me some socks, would ya?" And even after three months here, my accent was apparently very telling.

I caught the socks as they came at me, and unrolled the white things over my hot pink toenails. "So tennis shoes or those boots we bought a few weeks ago?" I asked as Sarah came from the bathroom.

Kyra had accidentally on purpose spilled water all over my lovely brown leather boots the second day that I was here. When Kate had asked me why I always wore the same two pair of shoes – or rather, one pair and flip flops – I'd told her. She'd done me a favor and bought me some new boots, which she told me were for my seventeenth birthday, which was on September third.

"Boots, definitely the boots." Sarah decided, sitting on the bed beside me and checking her nails for cracks and uneven edges. She was a girl in every and all ways, as was Kate. Odd, because I could care less what I looked like (usually, as in when certain males weren't around).

"What do you think? Should I change tops?" Kate asked, stepping in front of us.

The girls had come over two hours ago to get ready, wanting to make a big deal out of tonight. They had brought too many clothes to count, and now, shirts and skirts were scattered all over my bed. Sarah had chosen her stuff right off the bat, and had taken the rest of the time making me look pretty.

"You look hot," Sarah told Kate, smiling. She wore a pink stripped top that v-necked, with thick shoulder straps. Her jeans were low slung, like mine, and had silver circles as the belt. Her earrings matched, huge silver hoops that just looked like Kate.

"Hell yeah. Pogue'll be drooling by the time's over," I snickered. "Or have beat in the faces of other guys. One of the two."

"Oh, that is soooo not funny," Kate growled at me, and I couldn't help but laugh. Even Sarah, the peace keeper, giggled.

The first and last time I'd been to Nicky's, some guy had hit on Kate. Normally, or so I'd been told, Kate would just walk away. This guy, though, wasn't going to take no for an answer. So, in the middle of the bar, Pogue had hit the guy, and started a fight that was still talked about now. Unfortunately, Nicky had kicked us about of the bar for three months. Fortunately, the other guy had been kicked out for six.

This was the groups first time back, and the first real time for me, since the last trip had lasted thirty minutes, tops. Another reason for dressing up, besides the fact it was fun and that it made the boys drool.

I slipped on the four inch high black boots, then surged to my feet. I swiped my purse from the bed, popped it open and made sure everything was inside. Phone, check. Wallet, check. Pocketknife, check. Lip gloss, check. Pocket calender and pen, check. Peppermints, check. Yep, everything was in fine order.

"Ready to go?" Kate teased; I had a habit of double checking everything. It slowed us down when we were shopping, driving, even doing homework. But you what? I was always prepared.

I rolled my eyes at them, "Its not like they'll leave without us." Sarah snorted, and I quickly amended the statement, "Okay, its not like Caleb and Pogue will leave without us." Reid had a bad habit of bullying Tyler into leaving us girls behind if we were late. Or maybe, just maybe, Tyler enjoyed seeing us stranded.

"Still don't wanna be late." Sarah told me, and I shooed them both out, locking the door as I left. Then I headed down after them, fingering my own hoop earrings – smaller than Kate's, but bigger than Sarah's tiny studs.

We took the elevator, because Kate seemed to dislike stairs for some reason, and made it into the lobby just as the alarm on my phone went off. "Told you we would be on time!" I announced with a smirk as I skipped out the elevator.

"For once," Caleb joked, causing everyone, excluding me, to laugh. Instead, I pouted.

Pogue's eyes went wide when he saw Kate, who sauntered out of the elevator like a model and wrapped her arms around his neck. I gagged and looked away as they kissed sweetly, causing Sarah to laugh. "Shouldn't you be used to this by now?"

"Watching you four have cute, lovey-dovey kiss with each other? Um, no." I stated with an eye roll. "Hey, Cay, where's Tyler and Reid?" I usually hung out with them, playing pranks and making nasty comments at people. Oh, the fun.

"Don't call me Cay, and Tyler's out in the Hummer." He told me with a scowl, though it was half hearted. He'd gotten used to it by now.

I hiked my purse up and wandered outside, letting the couples find their own way out. Tyler owned this huge hummer, that made even my truck look small. I'd tried convincing him that it was a bad idea, that it cost too much money and polluted the earth, but he refused to see reason. So, I get to ride in a hummer, something I'd never though I'd stand for.

I made my way towards the passenger side of the monster, smirking when I saw that Reid wasn't in it. Usually he got the passenger seat – okay, he _always _got the passenger seat. Now, though, he wasn't in the car, which meant it was free for me.

I opened the door and held my hand up for help getting inside. The damn thing was too big for me to get in without help, and I'd rather hold Tyler's hand than the bar above the door. Sure enough, I felt his warm hand around mine, hauling me up into buttery leather seats.

"Reid is still gonna end up there, you know." Tyler told me, smiling and shaking his head at my little victory dance.

"Oh, hell, no he ain't. My seat now." I shot back, reaching down to mess with the radio station. I'd never been much for hard rock, but it was the only thing that Reid, Tyler and I agreed on, so it was usually on. Tonight, though...shot gun gets choices, as they say. Well, as I say.

Tyler laughed, then chocked as my music came on. Bon Jovi blared through the radio, and Tyler scowled, leaning over to change it. I smacked his hand, and was rewarded with a glare. "Come on, Tiff, can we please put something _good _on?"

"I love this song!" I objected, and he sighed, rolling his eyes, but giving in all the same.

Then the door to the Hummer opened and arms were wrapped around my waist, plucking straight from the seat. A second later, I was blinking in confusion from Reid's lap. "Reid!"

"Tiffany," He mocked near my ear, and I shivered, causing the blonde to laugh darkly in my ear.

"Put me down," I demanded, squirming and trying to escape, causing both of them to laugh. All four of the guys were freakishly strong, something they blamed on swimming. On the other hand, I was short, skinny and fast, but I had little strength.

"You should know better than to sit in my place," Reid scolded playfully, and I snorted, "And if you don't stop moving, then I'm not gonna need a girl for tonight."

That froze me like nothing else, and I spewed a few curse words at them both. See the influence they have on me? "Tyler!" I finally cried, "Make him let me go!"

"I don't know..." Tyler popped his elbow on the steering wheel and his chin in his hand. "Are you going to let me change the station?"

I locked my jaw, then my eyes widened as Reid moved under me. "Yes!" My voice was a squeak, and I knew, just knew, that I was bright red.

I felt, _felt, _Reid smirk behind me, but he unwrapped his arms from around my waist and allowed me to crawl into the backseat. Then I shrieked as someone slapped my ass, and turned to sit and glare at a smirking Tyler and Reid, who were both turned around and watching me.

"That's it, I'm never riding with you guys again." I sulked, crossing my arms.

"Ah, come on, you know you love us." Reid coaxed, "Besides, otherwise, you'd have to ride with Caleb or Pogue, or, heave forbid, in that huge truck of yours."

Caleb drove alright, but his car was always occupied with Sarah, or Sarah's panties, and I wasn't willing to share a seat with the blonde or her underwear. Pogue rode a motorcycle, and Kate rode both, and would totally kill for approaching either. The truck? Well, I've still gotta sell it sometime soon, but I hadn't bothered, because Tyler was always offering me a ride.

"Yeah, yeah." I growled playfully at both of them, then slammed on the seatbelt as Tyler started the truck. Both he and Reid drove like insane blind men, god help us all.

My hand shot out and grabbed the headrest behind me as we went around a curve, but otherwise I was fine. Well, except the rap music. Seems they were punishing me with horrible songs about whores and money. Damn boys.

"Crap music!" I yelled up at them, causing a smirking Reid to turn around and wink at me.

"You know you love it!" Tyler called from his seat, and I winced as we went around another curve. God, they were horrible drivers, but at least Tyler went the speed limit – mostly.

By the time we were pulling into Nicky's, I was debating whether or not to make my will before I left again. I took a deep breath and unhooked the seatbelt, then sent the door wide open. "Do I have to get out by myself, or will one of y'all help me?" I asked as I sat there, my legs hanging over the edge of the monster.

Reid was closest to me, and had the honor of grabbing my waist and pulling me out of the creature. "You're wearing four inch boots; shouldn't you be able to get out by yourself?"He asked exasperatedly.

I smirked up at him, because even with heels, he was a head taller than me. "I could, but where's the fun that?"

He smirked right back, "If you just wanted my hands on you, you could've asked." He informed me smoothly, "I wouldn't turn you down."

Tyler snorted and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, "More like she's wishing it were me." So true, but he didn't need to know that. It'd give him a big head.

"Wow, what over inflated egos." I snapped, brushing hair over my shoulder as I shot a smile at them. Then I bolted forward, catching up with Caleb and Sarah, before either Tyler or Reid could catch me in a headlock and mess up my hair. Again.

"Hey, ya'all." I sang as I hook my arm through Sarah's.

"Are you teasing them again?" Sarah asked, eyebrow raised. She knew that I was crushing heavily on Tyler, and found it rather amusing. Damn blonde.

"'course I am. What else would I be doin'?" I asked, an innocent expression on my face.

Caleb snorted and rolled his eyes, "Whip that innocent expression off your face, Tiffy." He couldn't even see me, and he knew. How? I will never know. Damn physic boys.

Caleb stepped in front of us, holding the door open for us, the gentleman. Of course, he smiled wickedly as he let it shut in Reid's face, causing Sarah and I to giggle horribly. The blonde haired guy rolled his eyes at us as he wretched open the door. "Real mature." He remarked dryly.

"You know you love us," I taunted, then darted around the crowd to the seats where I could see Pogue and Kate. "Hey, y'all," I greeted as I pulled out a chair and dropped in it.

Kate pulled away from her boyfriend to give me a hey, and Pogue didn't even bother before drawing her back to him. God, those two were like super glue when they were together. I rolled my eyes at the two as Caleb and Sarah joined me at the table.

Tyler grabbed the back of a chair and swung it around, straddling it. "Hey, Reid and I are gonna go play pool, so can you order our food?"

He gave me a charming grin, tilting his head just so, and the words that came out of my mouth would be the same no matter the question. "Yeah, what'd ya want?"

"Two burger and fries, and two cokes." His grin grew larger, and he pressed a fifty dollar bill into my hand and a kiss to my cheek. Then he stood and swung the chair back around, strutting back over to the pool table with Reid.

I was watching his ass move as he went when Sarah and Kate burst out laughing. I turned my eyes to them, eyebrows up in question. Even Pogue and Caleb had stopped talking to look at them. "What'd I do this time?" I demanded.

"You are so easy," Sarah gasped out, taking a drink of Kate's water. "All he does is tilt his head and smile, and you 'yes, master'."

"I do not!" I yelped, outraged. "I just thought it would be nice. Plus, I get to keep the change."

"Darling, he'll look at you, and you'll hand over the change with no argument." Kate laughed out, "And the funniest thing is, he has no idea!"

"So not funny," I snapped, glaring at them, which only made them laugh harder. Huffing, I grabbed the money and left my purse at the table, going up to the bar and ordering the drinks. I'd buy the burgers later, because the two guys were too caught up in the game to consider eating. I bought one for myself, too, because there was extra money.

I walked over and stood a few feet away from the pool table, and Reid reached out and grabbed a coke without even looking at me. Okay, maybe I was being taken for granted...then Tyler flashed me a smile, a quick thanks, and took the root beer that had been for me.

He chocked after the first sip. "Wrong drink, asshole." I snapped, and he blinked at me, eyebrows snapping together in confusion.

Tyler handed me the root beer and took the other drink, then, ignoring Reid, who was telling him to hurry the hell up, turned to face me. "You okay?" He looked truly concerned.

I sighed, "Sorry, just being bitchy tonight. Go strip Abbott's dignity for me, pretty boy." Ty smiled at that, reassured that I was fine, and went back to kicking Aaron Abbott's ass.

Sure enough, ten or so minutes later, Aaron Abbott was glaring at Reid, who was, of course, the one blamed. I don't know why, but everyone, even Caleb and Pogue, assumed that Reid was behind most of the crap that was done. Tyler, on the other hand, got away Scott free. Of course, Reid did talk louder and meaner than Tyler, but both were equally responsible for cheating Aaron out of his money.

"Look, man, we won." Ty said, his voice angry, though very few people would have noticed. He wasn't big on showing emotion, not unless he really knew you. Neither he nor Reid, who joked to cover his emotions, as clichéd as that is.

"He fucking cheated, fagot," Aaron snarled, and I decided to step in.

"Why, Aaron, is that jealousy in your voice?" I asked, my voice innocent and eyes wide. Reid shot me a warning look, but I ignored him. Aaron was an asshole, but he wasn't stupid enough to attack me in a crowd...hopefully.

"Aw, I think it is." Reid cooed, a hand pressed to his chest in mock understanding, even as he kept an eye on me.

Aaron was just about to reach the end of his rope when Caleb's voice washed over all of us. "What's going on here?"

"None of you business, dickhead." Aaron snarled at Caleb, who managed to keep his calm. Another weird thing about Caleb; he never lost his temper, or at least, I've never seen him lose his temper.

"We bet a hundred on who would win," Reid snapped, "We won."

"Why don't you just forget about the bet, okay?" Sarah asked sweetly, appearing behind Caleb, who tensed.

Reid clenched his jaw, waiting for Aaron to speak. Finally, Aaron looked around, noticing that he was fiercely outnumbered, even with three friends at his back. "Fine, fagots." His words were spat out, and I felt the urge to tear him apart. Too bad I was half his weight and height.

The crowd dissipated, and I saw Nicky vanished back behind the bar with his baseball bat. Caleb slowly turned to Reid with a glare that almost intimidated even me. Okay, it did intimidate me, not that I'd ever say it.

"Reid, you asshole, we just got back in here," Caleb spoke through gritted teeth, "Do you want to get us kicked out permanently?"

"Look, man, it was a fair game, it really was," Tyler stepped in, playing peacemaker and Reid's protector.

Reid snarled and stepped forward, "Even if it wasn't, its not your job to fucking babysit me."

I swallowed and stepped around the pool table, so that Tyler, Reid and Caleb were on the opposite side. I learned real fast to stay away from guys when the tension was up, or I'd get the shit beaten out of me. Never fun, just not fun.

I tuned their low, whispered fight out as I pulled out the pool triangle and put the balls back in place for whoever played next. Even Sarah, who usually payed attention to me, was watching the guys, so I was, once again, totally invisible. Safer that way.

When I looked up next, I was the only person near the now set-up pool table. Sighing, I stepped away and was back at the bar, ordering the food for Reid and Tyler, and some for myself. Nicky paused as he was passing them to me, then surprisingly, rumbled out, "Having any trouble with your boyfriend?"

I met his eyes, and I knew he'd have had to have seen it before. He was a bartender, and he was invisible in his own way. People got drunk and talked around him, and he knew things that others didn't. "Nope," I told him, smiling softly. "Just skittish."

The big man nodded and gave me my change, letting me leave. I wandered back over to the table and sat back down, shoving the food at Reid and Tyler, both looking pacified for the moment. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that the two couples were now on the dance floor and not near them.

"Hey, thanks," Reid choked around a fry. "Damn, these are good."

"You," Tyler talked between bites of his burger, "Are totally awesome."

"I know," I told them smugly, then finished my own burger at top speed, "And in payment, one of you gets to dance with me."

"I call dibs!" Tyler announced, then stood and offered a hand. I took it, allowing him to draw me up and onto the dance floor while Reid finished his food.

I smiled and winked at Ty.

Maybe it would turn out to be a fun night.

000000

Two hours later, I was worn out and tired beyond belief, but harrier than I remembered in a long time. I pecked both Tyler and Reid on the cheek, then pounded up the stairs to my own room. I grabbed the key from around my neck and popped open the door, then froze.

Black roses sat on my bed, and I knew, without having to count, that there would be thirteen of them.

A note sat on the desk near the door, and with eyes wide, I grabbed it off the desk.

_Someone left these out in the hall, and I knew they weren't for me. Have fun with the creepy roses._

_-Kyra_

I dropped the note and backed out of the room, shaking so hard that I barely go it locked. Then I walked towards the elevator, not wanting to be in the stairwell this late at night.

I hit two, and five minutes later, I was at Tyler's room. I knocked on the door, and glanced over my shoulder a few times before the door opened. Reid stood there, in sleep pants and without a shirt, though he seemed wide awake. "Tiff?" Then he noticed my wide eyes. "Tiff, what's wrong?"

"Who's it, Reid?" I heard Tyler's voice from inside the room.

I blinked a few times and asked softly, "Can I stay here tonight?"

Reid nodded, "Of course," and dragged me into the room. Then he led me to his bed and pushed me down to a sitting position.

Tyler poked his head out of the bathroom, then frowned. "What's wrong, Tiff?"

"I'm just...its really creepy, being in the dorms alone, ya know?" I lied, and I knew they knew I lied, but no one questioned me.

Instead, Tyler walked out of the bathroom with a towel over his shoulder. "I'm gonna go take a shower, so why don't you use my bed?" He seemed to want to ask me what was going on, but maybe I looked breakable or something, 'cause he didn't.

I nodded and stood, shaking out my hair and trying to smile as Tyler hesitantly left the room. Then I blinked and jerked as a pair of pants and a shirt hit me in the head. "Jeans don't look too comfy to sleep in," Reid explained when I looked at him.

I nodded and stole their bathroom for a second, though only for a second. My jeans and shirt dropped to the floor, and I barely remembered to take off my earrings and key. Then I stumbled back to Tyler's bed and curled up.

I was barely awake when I felt warm arms folded around me, and I burrowed into a warm chest, just wishing the world away. Minutes later, I was asleep.


	4. Normal

Author's Note : I know, a long time, but I've got massive ideas. Now only to get them into Word...

Chapter Four;

I moaned and threw my arm out, as if by doing so, I could turn off the sun. No luck there. It was still bright and shinning and harsh and who the hell left the window open? Had to be Kyra...then I bolted straight up and looked around. Or Reid, who likes to mess with people. Or hey, maybe Tyler, who probably didn't want me in his room all day.

Neither one were in the actual room at the moment, which I both expected and was thankful for. Who in the world would be home on a Saturday? And, of course, I did _not _want to talk about _it_, and they would want to know why I was in their room last night, panicking.

Oh yeah, I could see _that _conversation. _So um, there's this crazy killer who thinks I can do stuff, and wants me for that thing, except he's not all that crazy. _That would go over _so _well.

And uck, I'm using a whole lot of sarcasm for someone who just woke from a dead sleep.

I rolled from the bed and looked down at myself. The pants were tied, but still hung only half on me. The shirt, thank god, covered most of me, all the way down to my lower thigh. I pulled a face and drew the clothes off, grabbing my jeans and shirt from the chair. Then I struggled into them, wrinkling my nose at the smell.

I popped open the door and looked both ways. For me to get caught coming out of this room at some odd hours of the morning would not be a good thing. No one was coming, but to be sure...I closed my eyes tight, and let the cool air wash over me. Ten seconds later, not a soul could see me as I pranced down the hall. Hell, I could prance down the hall _naked _with a hot pink boa, and no one would see me.

There are some benefits to being the invisible girl. Only problem? Those 'benefits' were all there because I had a crazy man stalking me, because my mother thought I was a freak and wanted me away from home and because my former best friends were dead. So, maybe, not such benefits.

I took the stairs, because last time I'd been like this and took the elevator, someone had tried to cram in where I'd been standing. Ever been squished up against the wall by a fat person's walker because they couldn't see you? I doubt it, so let me tell you, it ain't fun.

I tried the door nob, and thankfully enough, it was unlocked. I cracked the door open and slid in, shutting it softly behind me. Not that I needed to worry. Kyra was gone from the room, and so, gratefully were the black roses.

Not that I was going to drop the invisibility in this room for a moment. With my luck, the guy had planted cameras in the room and was waiting for me to spill my secrets to the world. Uh, not gonna happen. Again.

I grabbed a towel and some clothes, and like everything I touched in this form, it went invisible with me. I don't know how or why, but everything that I pick up goes under this neat ole shield. Not the same with things I sit on, lay on, ect. Its even different with people; takes some work, but I can drag them under as well.

I dropped the invisibility when I reached the showers and found them empty. Staging a haunting might be fun, but useless in the long run. Instead, I took a shower the old fashion way, with a body and everything. Who said the classics were out of style?

Then I pulled on the swimsuit, with jeans and a tight t-shirt to cover it. Back at home, I went swimming because it was uber hot. Here, I go swimming to clear my mind, and because the movement is utterly familiar. I've been swimming all my life, though not swim team good, and I can't compete worth a shit.

I pulled my hair up into a vanilla smelling bun and donned flip flops, and made my way towards the swimming pool. It was empty, thank god, though the swim team was scheduled to meet in two or so hours hours. Which was fine. I didn't plan to swim for that long, maybe only an hour and a half. If anything, I'd meet them coming out of the pool.

I gripped the edge of the pool and slid in, sighing in amazement at the warm water. It was, like, sixty outside, and eighty in the pool. The first time I'd been in it, I'd wondered if a whole bunch a people had to pee in the damn water to make it so warm, but, nope, it was the heater. What kinda school had a heater? Spencer, apparently.

I was on the twentieth, and final, lap when I stopped and had to catch my breath by the diving board. Which, when I look back upon it all, was a really stupid thing to do.

Exploding pain caught the back of my head as I turned around, and someone screamed – oh, that would be me, oops – and then nothing.

00000

Someone smacked me, not hard, just a little, and then I heard my name. Again. When would these people just shut up? "Next person who fucking touches me," I gritted out, "Is going to loose their fucking hand."

"Never heard you say 'fuck' so many times, Tiff." Reid's voice. Shoulda known it was Reid. Why was I so cold?

"Yeah, well, I have a splitting headache, you guys are really loud, and I'm cold. You'd say 'fuck' too."

"Actually, I just would have avoided the whole conflict and not tried to drown myself, but hey, each to their own." Reid corrected me, and I cracked one eye open to see his smiling face above me. Tyler was on my other side, looking worried, and Pogue and Caleb were there as well, just further back.

"I didn't almost drown on purpose, but right now, I wish you would." I gritted out, feeling tears at the back of my eyes. Damn, my head really hurt.

Tyler vanished from my view for a second, just as Reid snorted, "Sorry, that would put a crick in tonights plans." He smirked, "I gotta date."

A second later, I felt hands dragging me into a sitting position, then a towel, a very warm, very fluffy, towel wrapped around my shoulders. Guess that explains where Tyler went. "Thanks, Ty."

"I'd never hear the end of it if you died of pneumonia," He joked, smiling down at me.

I smiled up at him, but Caleb cleared his throat and interrupted our flirting, the party pooper. "Hey, can we get back to the topic?"

"And what, exactly, is the topic?" I asked sweetly, glaring up at him. I know, bird trying to walk, but hey, not my fault I'm too cute for words.

"How about why you were floating, half dead, in the pool at twelve in the afternoon?" Pogue asked. Good cop, bad cop, or did they really finish each other's thoughts? Cree-py.

I shrugged under the fluffy towel, "I was swimming laps, thinking through some things, and I stopped by the diving board," I told then, then changed my story, "I musta hit my head on the diving board," Rather, someone did that for me, "And passed out and almost drowned." Or someone tried to kill me. Again.

"Yeah, and I'm the easter bunny," Tyler drawled sarcastically from where he crouched by my side. "That diving board is placed too far above you for you to 'accidentally' hit yourself with it. You'd have to shoot upwards to tag it, or someone would have to pull you up and do it for you."

I rolled my eyes, "Paranoid," Rightfully so. And, in a sloppy change of subject, "Not that I ain't grateful, 'cause I am, but what are you four doing here?"

Caleb shrugged, "We have swim practice in thirty minutes, and coach likes me to be here early, since I'm the team captain." He smirked, as if enjoying the honor, "Pogue decided to join me, and Tyler and Reid had nothing better to do."

"Good. Hope you enjoy swim practice," I told them sweetly, and stood up, or tried to. Tyler caught me as I tumbled, scowling down at me.

"You aren't going anywhere. You probably have a concussion, which means someone's gonna have to keep an eye on you for the next twenty four hours." Tyler scolded, actually scolded, me.

No. Flipping. Way. "Not gonna happen. Besides, I'm totally fine, except the small balance problem."

"And lack of rational judgment, though I'm sure that's just you and not the result of banging your head against the diving board." Caleb pointed out. "I'm going to agree with Tyler on this one. You need to go sit up on the rafters, where we can keep an eye on you."

I chewed on my bottom lip for a second. Maybe they were right, except lack of ration judgment was so not 'just me'. I am a totally logical, rational person...right. "Why don't I got hang out with Sarah and Kate instead?" See? I can compromise.

Caleb was smug, and I knew that somehow, I'd just lost a battle of wits. "They'll be joining us shortly, which means you can take a seat on the bleachers."

I crossed by arms, which was hard to do, considering that I was still leaning on Tyler for support. "Fine," Oh, there's the pout I was looking for earlier. All the guys are suckers for the pout.

Then I shrieked as Tyler lifted me up, causing everyone to laugh. "Thought you were use to being manhandled by us," Reid teased, and I couldn't help but stick my tongue out at him.

Tyler made his way up to the bleachers, and I rolled in his arms, throwing my head over his shoulder. "You're all going to pay for this!" Another shriek escaped me as Tyler gave a jerk of laughter. "Stop moving so much, you ass!"

"You're the one squirming," He informed me, a smirk in his voice, as he dropped me on the metal bleacher. I opened my mouth to reply, then blinked up at him as he slid his hand over my mouth. "Stay here, okay? Coach wouldn't be impressed if we all ditched to go find you."

I narrowed my eyes on him as he whirled around and jogged down the steps, then got distracted by his amazing ass. Then I remembered the snarky comment, and shouted down, "No, but he'd be grateful!"

Tyler merely laughed and vanished into the locker room, waving over his shoulder. Damn, but I wanted that boy in ways I'd never thought possible.

I shivered and pushed it out of my mind, pulling the towel tighter around myself. Getting close to people was a truly asinine idea. Joy and Jesse were assumed to be murdered, Diana, their sister, was still missing, my mother was petrified...no, getting close to people was a bad idea, especially with Him on my trail.

I rest my elbows on my knees and observed, watching as Sarah and Kate spilled into the building, laughing and smiling. I watched as Pogue and Caleb made their way over to their girls, and Reid bolted from the locker room, laughing loudly. Tyler streaked out after him, and I couldn't help but smile at what I considered 'my group'.

So happy, so normal. I couldn't let anything happen to these people, the ones I'd come to care about.

No, it'd be better to push them away now. Then no one would suffer, except me.


	5. Bedroom Psychology

Author's Note : I'm hoping this chapter will be longer than the others. Also, should Reid end up with Tiffy, or should Tyler? Or...what? I need some votes on pairings, please. :)

Chapter Five;

It'd been five days since I'd almost drowned. At first, the guys had pestered me about it, wanting to know what really happened. I'd started avoiding them, and was, so far, succeeding. Tyler and Reid were in most of my classes, both A and B, and both Caleb and Pogue were in two of my B day classes, so I was pleased with my success.

Okay, no, I wasn't. I was fucking miserable, and it was mostly my fault, though I hated to admit it. I was the one who didn't talk to them, who turned into the 'Ice Princess', to coin Jesse's term, whenever Kate or Sarah would knock on my door. Even Kyra thought I was being a bitch to the entire group, which was saying something.

I closed the door softly behind me, then locked the door and put the key back under my hoodie. The huge thing was actually Tyler's, and I'd stolen it from his room. Not because it reminded me of him, and smelled like him, of course, but because it was warm and I was always cold (hence the heavy sweatpants and fluffy socks).

I made my way towards My Spot, the main living area on the third floor. Not a soul knew I came here at night, which was why I could get away with my hair in a ponytail, without shoes and in my PJ's. I could also sit here until around three in the morning, drawling or just thinking, which was good, since Kyra made that impossible in my room – the girl snored like a rock.

The sketch pad was tossed to my corner of the couch, and I headed behind the snack bar for my coffee. I'd learned how to add chocolate and whip cream to the coffee in perfect amounts, thanks to Reid, who seemed to know every trick there was about food. Not that I was allowed to tell anyone; that might ruin his 'bad boy' image, which he adored.

A sigh escaped me as I slumped into the couch, balancing the coffee perfectly. Well, almost perfectly, I amended as a few drops hit the cushions beside me. Ah well, not a big deal. These couches had been through a helluva a lot more. Still, I blotted the material a bit with the cuff of my sleeve, frowning.

My hand froze, though, as a door slammed. Dread fluttered through me, because the sound had come from the lobby area, not the sleeping area. And I know, I shouldn't go all Invisible Girl unless it was really needed, but I panicked, and boom. See-through girl, that's me. All I had to do now was load my pad and coffee into my arms, make it back down the hall, up the stairs and into my room, take out the key and unlock the door, all without noise or anyone noticing.

I always had to choose the hard way, didn't I?

The couch creaked under me a I shifted, getting ready to get up. Then the doors flew open, and two guys stumbled in, laughing like maniacs. Oh, God, karma is such a bitch. Reid and Tyler were howling with laughter as they felling into the room, and I was frozen in panic. Of the two people in the world that I didn't want to see, the two most observant people who knew me the best...karma. Sucks. Just plain sucks.

Reid threw himself himself in an armchair, still howling with laughter, "Damn, baby boy, did you see his face? God, that's priceless!"

Tyler made his way over to the snack bar, still grinning and shaking his head, and I had to wonder what was so amusing. Would I have been there if I hadn't been giving them the cold shoulder, or would they had declared it one of those 'guy days', where they hung out by themselves? "Dude, he is so going to kill you."

Reid snorted, "No freaking way. He has no idea it was me."

"Well, he knows it wasn't Pogue, and there is no way he'd believe you over me," Tyler rolled his eyes at his friend, then frowned at the fridge "Where the hell did all the whip cream go? I could have sworn we bought some just yesterday."

Reid smirked, "You know she's been stealing it all."

"Tiff?" Tyler snorted, "Probably. She loves that stupid shit, ya know..."

"I know," Reid threw a hackney sack at Tyler's head, "I'm the one that showed her how to make good coffee, remember?"

Tyler turned on a dime and caught the bead filled ball, frowning, "I still can't believe she's ditching us." He tossed the ball back – hard.

The blonde haired guy leaned forward and caught it with no trouble, "I can. You guys were pressuring her for answers, and if there's one thing I know, it's that pressuring a girl is the wrong thing to do."

"She's not one of your conquests, Reid. There's a difference."

Reid shrugged, "It's the same principle, baby boy. Alpha people – people who like to be in control – don't like being pushed into things. If there's one thing Tiff is guilty of, it's being a control freak." A snort, "Did you see her dorm room? I swear, everything was freaking _color coded." _

I resisted the urge to tell him that only my clothes and shoes were color coded...and maybe my school supplies and my make up...and, well, hell, everything but my books were. I scowled and glared at his chin, since his head was tilted back. Why pick on me? Sarah was the one with flowers all over her stuff!

"I think it's cute," Tyler defended me, thank god. "A little weird, but cute." Hey!

"You think everything about her is cute," Reid told his friend, snapping his head up and tossing the ball again. "Which is weird, 'cause I don't see cute when I look at her," He gave a lecherous smile, "I see mega hot."

"You think everything with tits and an ass is hot," Tyler reminded his friend, tossing the ball back.

"Not everything, just a lot of things," Reid corrected Tyler, "But, c'mon, man, are you really going to argue that she's not hot?"

"I'm young, not blind," Tyler informed the blonde, "Of course I know she's hot."

Tyler ducked down to rummage through a lower cabinet, just as Reid through the hackney sack back to him. The thing, thrown hard this time, hit a cup, which fell, knocked into another one, and caused two others to fall to the floor with a loud crash. Everyone in the room froze, including me, and turned to slowly look at the glasses. "Dude." Tyler said after a second, then snickered, "Smooth."

"Shut up, baby boy," Reid rolled his eyes, "I can fix it."

Tyler lost all joking, and looked serious, "Don't, Reid. You know what Caleb said."

"You know what Caleb said," Reid mocked in a high pitched tone, then scowled at his younger friend, "It's not a big deal, Ty. Trust me, okay? One time ain't gonna hurt anything, especially since I'm not Ascended."

"But what happens when you _do _Ascend? You'll be so hooked, you won't be able to help it." Tyler pointed out, then looked at the mess, "Let me handle it, okay?"

What the hell were they talking about? I rarely saw them so serious, and they'd never mentioned anything about ascending or crap like that. Then I jerked back, my coffee falling from my hand and onto the floor as the glasses...it was like a reverse fast forward of the crash. The pieces came together as the glass moved to sit on the counter once again. And Tyler's eyes...what the fuck?

I sucked in a breath, trying to control my breathing. "What the hell?" Reid yelped, and I snapped my head to look at him.

He was standing with narrowed eyes, watching the exact place where I was...where the coffee had dropped from. His eyes were black, too, and man, that was freaky...what the hell was that? Because that wasn't normal...Okay, maybe in my world, it was normal. I mean, jeez, a girl who's currently sitting on a couch, being invisible, is talking about normal? But still...the black eyes? Not natural!

"Tyler, did you just..." Reid motioned to the coffee cup and the spill on the floor.

Tyler was shaking his head, I was sure of it. "Not me, man. I just did the cups. Besides, it takes a lot more Power to be teleport items. You'd have felt it."

Reid's head cocked to the side, and I froze again, a deer in the headlights. His eyes were narrowed, and he was wearing a frown, and too late, I remembered how Reid was the most observant of the boys. He always noticed the smallest things. "How about invisible?" His voice was a whip in the room.

Tyler snorted and crossed his arms, "Okay, I get it. Caleb, drop the act. You'll need something better than fake ghosts for payback."

Caleb? He was involved, too?...Duh. He was, like, the ring leader of the group. Pogue would be involved as well, and I didn't doubt that Sarah and Kate were in on it. The boys were tight, the inner circle of the group, with Sarah and Kate as the second circle, the planets circling the sun.

"Not Caleb. He's with Sarah at the moment – the girls dragged Pogue and Caleb out on a double date." Reid told his friend, eyes still scanning the room. His gaze skipped over me, then came straight back. What the heck?

Then it hit me. I was sitting on the couch, and while I didn't weigh a lot, I was still leaving an imprint where my butt was pressed into the cushion. Which meant...Reid was on me, grabbing where he was probably guessing my arms were and pushing me back against the couch. "Who the hell are you?" He demanded as he pushed his knee into my stomach, pinning me in place. God, he was heavy.

Think, Tiffy, fucking think. I didn't care that they had black eyes, and were a little bit different than most humans. I still couldn't allow them to find out my secret. I lifted my leg up, and somehow (don't ask me to replicate the move, because I couldn't), I managed to jam my knee right into a very sensitive spot on my blonde boy. He gasped in pain and his grip loosened, his leg dropping from my stomach to shield himself. That left me just enough slack to wiggle out of his grip.

Reid was now getting to his feet and a glance around told me that Tyler was going to help his friend, not go after the girl he couldn't see. I bolted towards the stairs, hoping that neither would find a way to follow me.

Reid groaned once more, wondering if the lingering pain would ever go away, or if he'd ever be able to have sex again. Right now, he doubted it. "Tyler?"

Tyler reached down and hauled Reid to his feet, ignoring the blonde's motions for the other guy to leave. "What's that I hear – a young woman's cry for help?"

"Shut the fuck up, baby boy." Reid squeezed out, trying not to whimper and cover his family jewels with his hands. "God, that fucking hurt! Whoever that was is so fucking dead!"

Tyler shook his head at Reid, no doubt in disapproval of the excess use of the word 'fuck'. Damn, though, Reid thought, the pain warranted the use of said word a million times over. He'd been hit, shanked, punched, and generally beaten up since he was a kid. So far, this hurt the worse. Okay, maybe not the worse, but it was at the top of the list of things never to do again, right next to Aaron Abbot's baby sister.

"So it seems like we're got another mystery," Tyler said after a second, reaching down to flip open his phone. _'We culd hve truble'_, he texted to Caleb and Pogue. "You get a feel of the guy?"

"Small," Reid finally said, "But that's it."

Tyler's phone rang after a second, and both boys knew it was Caleb. The youngest of the group flipped open the phone, turning around with a grimace directed at Reid. Explaining to the leader of the Covenant that they let an invisible person run through their fingers? Not fun, especially since everyone was still on edge of the Chase things. To them, any outside magic was now taken as a threat to their lives.

Reid was silent for a second, finally having caught sight of the book that lay wedged between the back of the couch and cushions. He reached down and pulled it out, dread coming over him as he saw the cover. He wasn't sure until he flipped through the book, but sure enough, there it was. All the art that Tiffy had drawn, starting with a picture of Caleb and ending with a half-drawn sketch of Reid and Tyler themselves, decorated the pages. The blonde felt sick to his stomach, and made a split second choice that might bite him in the ass: he shoved the book in his jacket, zipping it up to hold it inside.

Tyler sighed and continued to explain in the phone. Frustrated and confused, Reid snapped the phone from his best friend's hand. "Listen, oh fearless leader, we're going to bed. We'll talk in the morning." Then he snapped the razor closed, handed it to Tyler and spun away, stalking towards the stairs and ignoring the look Tyler gave him.

"Caleb is going to bust you one, man. Again." Tyler added the last part after some thought.

Reid shrugged with a fake smirk. Finding out your best friend's almost-girlfriend (and a close friend, too) was keeping a huge secret didn't inspire warm, fuzzy feelings and good moods. "Unlike the rest of you pussies, I ain't afraid of him."

Tyler snorted, "You'd best learn to be. He's the strongest of us, and always will be, even after we Ascend. Remember, he has his father's Power as well." Like any of them needed that reminder. Certain things were unforgettable – Caleb's Ascension, his father's death, Sarah and Pogue's deadly encounters, the first time he had sex (eighth grade, with a freshman named Samantha), and Chase's schemes.

Reid shot his friend a look, opening the door and sliding inside without bothering to hold it open for his friend. Tyler wasn't a chick (beyond attitude, sometimes), and even if he were, Reid wasn't a gentleman. "So are we going to skip class and talk to Caleb in the morning?"

Tyler rolled his eyes and flopped down on the bed across from Reid's, closing his eyes after a second. The ceiling apparently wasn't that interesting, for which Reid was grateful; while his friend wasn't looking, he shoved Tiffy's sketch pad between his bed and the wall. Normally, he'd tell Tyler, but his friend was too far gone to listen to Reid when it came to his girl. "God, Reid, you look for any reason to break the rules, don't you?"

"Teacher's pet," Reid mock accused after a second, smirking. Tyler didn't sit up or open his eyes, but blindly threw a pillow at the older of the two. It didn't hit, of course – the pillow hit the end of Reid's bed, far from Reid himself. "And your aim seriously sucks."

"Hey!" Tyler protested, "I have my eyes closed, and I know I hit your bed! That's better than what most people could do!"

"On the subject of hitting beds," Reid started in – again – about Tyler and his ability to grab a certain girl. "You plan on hitting Tiffy's anytime soon?"

There was silence, and Reid wondered if he'd pushed to far with the crudeness again. Didn't matter, though. Tyler knew he wasn't serious. Reid did things blunt and crudely to get reactions from people, and it usually worked. "A? She's not a piece of meat. There's no need to talk about her that way. B? She doesn't feel that way about me. I'm a friend, remember? And finally, she's not talking to any of us at the moment."

Reid sighed, "I think of her as a friend, not a piece of meat. She's totally into you. And finally?" Reid mocked, "She's not talking to any of us because neither of us have talked to her."

"She's the one that's avoiding all of us, including Kate and Sarah, and cutting contact, _not _us." Tyler growled, more than a little annoyed. He didn't like anyone insinuating that he had ditched her and cut her friendship, because he _hadn't. _

"Yeah, but we _let _her do that. Caleb thinks she's a security threat, which means he didn't try too hard to bring her back into the group. Pogue always sides with Caleb, and Kate and Sarah are loyal to their boyfriends, not to Tiffy." Reid explained. He was a bit more insightful than most people gave him credit for. "You're afraid that chasing her will lead to a relationship, which leads to secrets and pain, so you didn't fight too much, either."

"And what about you, oh smart one?" Tyler snapped, glaring at the popcorn ceiling now. "Why aren't you talking to her?"

"Because you're the one crushing on her, and vise versa. She doesn't want me to be the one to drag her out of isolation," Reid explained, feeling worse with ever word. He was crushing on her almost as hard as Tyler, and being able to see her preference hurt. That was why he didn't have chick friends, just fuck buddies – you were liable to get hurt with girls as your friends.

Tyler snorted but said nothing for a while. Then came his voice, "Fine. We'll corner her at lunch and make her talk to us."

"There you go, baby boy, grow some balls," Reid mock cheered, grabbing the second pillow out of the air as it was thrown at him and throwing it back. "Now go to sleep – it's past you bedtime."

"Shut up, Reid!"


	6. Falling to Pieces

Author's Note: Okay, so, as for pairings, I've got an idea, and I'm pretty solid on it. Only this is, I was your feedback first, as reviewers. Could I pair up Reid, Tyler _and _Tiffy, and pull it off? Or would everything unwind and be a mess? Would some people stop reading?

Chapter Six;

Reid watched his friend sleep, wondering what the hell he was doing. Tyler was his best friend, sometimes more, and here the blonde was, betraying him. Maybe it was for the best, though. Tyler was...well, Reid hated to admit it, but in love with Tiffy, or so close to that emotion that it didn't really matter. Knowing that she had betrayed them, that she was their enemy, would break something in the youngest boy, something the gang had tried hard to preserve.

Caleb was a fighter, the leader of the group. It was his job to know everything, to be able to protect their Covenant. For that reason, the eldest of them had to look beyond kindness and pretty lies to the gruesome truth. He had to weight every word spoken to him, to find any alternative motive or meaning. He had to mistrust every person outside the Covenant. He was the one that stood look out, his jaded eyes watching for the one Covenant member that would betray them - and he was the one that would be forced to take care of it.

Pogue was just as jaded. The second of the Covenant had a truly horrible talent. He had Empathy in huge quantities. Sure, every Brother had the same powers, but each had a certain 'talent', an affinity for a certain part of those powers. Pogue had gotten one of the worst, the power to feel the truth of people's feelings. He felt every surge of hate, or anger, or rage that people had towards each other. He felt the fear, the loneliness...Pogue had learned the moment he had turned thirteen how his mother had felt about him, and how his father truly felt about them all. He was no longer surprised by the inhumanities of humans.

Reid found that his affinity had been the biggest curse of all. He had a talent for the human mind. If he wasn't careful, if he had just one passing thought of, 'I wonder what she's thinking', he instantly found out. It was an offensive talent, mostly, but if someone was thinking hard enough, and Reid's shields weren't tight enough, their thoughts drifted in. If that wasn't bad enough, he was the one called in to fix the problems. When someone found out about the Covenant, Reid was the one to whip their mind – by diving into their memories and hidden thoughts. He had never trusted another human being since that first time.

The best ability, the most compassionate, had gone to Tyler. He was the ability of Knowledge, which they used to joke was the weakest of the talents. Hell, it was barely magic. Tyler could recall anything, in perfect form, even something he had learned at the age of five. He could do numbers in his head without thought, and was a genius past even human standards. And yeah, it might be the weakest power, but it wasn't a curse, not like empathy or mind reading or being the one that would kill anyone who stepped out of line. The affinity for Knowledge allowed for innocence, something rare in the world of the Power.

All the other boys – Caleb, Pogue and Reid himself – had done their best to shield Tyler from that world. Sure, he'd gotten cynical, but he still smiled and trusted people. Reid didn't; he rarely smiled for pure joy, he rarely trusted, and he never took anything at face value. Having the talent to read humans minds had killed any faith or trust in humans he had once had. Caleb and Pogue were a bit better. They, at least, had their girls, whom they trusted with their lives. Tyler, though? He still believed in God, in the occasional goodness of the human soul, and smiled at the sight of simple things.

Reid wanted it to stay that way, which was why he was doing what he was.

He reached over and gently unplugged the alarm clock, then plugged it back in. The clock defaulted to twelve o'clock, the alarm turned off and the time totally wrong. Tyler could sleep through the meeting and through class, and Reid would get to share his findings with the rest of the Covenant. They could investigate their former friend without putting Tyler in emotional turmoil.

Reid grabbed the spiral full of images and quietly made his way from the dorm building.

* * *

Tyler opened his eyes five minutes after the door clicked shut. He raised himself up on one forearm, glancing at the clock with no surprise. He'd kept his eyes shut, but he had been pretty sure of what Reid was doing. Not why, of course. That was the real question. Reid had never ducked out on him before. Everyone else? Yeah. But Tyler? No way. They didn't keep secrets, they didn't lie to each other. They were best friends, just like Pogue and Caleb were best friends.

That meant Reid had to have a good reason for it, and Tyler wasn't about to bug him over it. Reid would tell him in due time.

Instead, he rolled out of the (rather comfortable and warm) bed and grabbed a towel, along with a pair of jeans from the floor. He paused for a second to smell them, then wrinkled his nose and let them drop. The next pair he grabbed smelled a bit better, thank god – good enough to wear on a Friday. He slipped out of the room, making his way quickly to the bathrooms. They were empty, except for a guy who was three years younger, a first year, that Tyler had once glimpsed in the halls.

He thought as he cleaned up, pondering several things. He had to meet with Caleb and Pogue, finish two essays, check over Reid's, make Tiffy talk to him, and find out what his best friend was up to. He pushed the meeting with the Brothers out of his head – there was no way he could plan for that – and decided that Tiffy and Reid took priority over essays. He could finish the essay within ten minutes, but both Tiffy and Reid took a lot longer to work out.

He'd see Reid at the meeting, and he could maybe drop a few hints, encourage Reid to come clean without outright asking. Like he'd decided earlier, he wasn't going to push Reid. He respected his Brother too much for that. Respecting his space, though, didn't mean Tyler had to live in ignorance. He would leave hints, and Reid would probably take the bait.

Tiffy was a little bit harder. His brain always short circuited when he thought of the petite brunette girl, which meant planning to get her back would be a bit harder. Tyler knew, though, that he was going to have to corner her. She was slippery, and always seemed to vanish into thin air the moment that any of the Brothers entered her vicinity. Yeah, cornering her would be the best, and most likely, only way. He voted against asking her what was wrong. Instead, he would promise to stop asking questions, then ask her to Nicky's. He'd bully her, if he had to.

Tyler turned the hot water off first, letting the cold blast him further awake, before he turned that off, too. Drying off took a mere second, and he pulled on his jeans with no concern for boxers. A quick rub dried his hair to his satisfaction, and he threw the school towel into a heap with the rest. Then he turned around to grab his shirt and frowned, realizing he'd forgotten it. Oh, well. Not like he was ashamed of his body. He was ripped, from both swimming and...well, just swimming.

He padded through the hallway, unlocking his door and ducking in only long enough to grab the first hanger in the closet. Of course, he'd accidentally pulled on of Reid's, which meant there were three things on the hanger – an under shirt, a t-shirt, and a chain looped around the plastic wire. Tyler rolled his eyes and slipped on the tight undershirt on, glad that he'd grabbed one with sleeves. Then he threw the rest down on Reid's perfectly made bed and grabbed his own gray jacket before bolting from the room.

* * *

I glanced at the clock and sighed. Six in the morning, an hour until my alarm was to go off. I still hadn't gone to sleep, too worried about what had happened four hours ago. I'd opened my book after an hour of waiting for Tyler or Reid to bust the door down, and had started my English essay. Now, I closed my history book, wondering what I was going to do until seven. I'd gone through all my homework and read three chapters in the required reading.

A forlorn glance at the empty bed across from mine told me I wasn't going to be chatting with Kyra, even if I'd wanted to. She'd woken at six thirty, glaring at me and snapping for me to turn the lights off. After I refused, she'd stalked off to the showers, the reason I wasn't in there now. I didn't want her pushing my down in those slippery stalls and letting me fall to my death. God knows, if the look she'd given me this morning was any hint, she wouldn't hesitate to do so.

I didn't stay bored for long, though. The door handle turned, then a knock sounded on the wood, when the person realized the door was locked. I got up slowly, eyes narrowed; Kyra always took great care to remember her key (ha), so she wouldn't have to knock. Who would try to get in the room first, then stick around to knock? Someone not good, probably, though I didn't know that for sure. I'd have to check, to be sure.

There was no peephole, so I was going to to have to it the hard way. I opened the door just a little, to peek through, and then tried to slam it shut. Oops, not fast enough. His hand snaked through the jam, holding onto the door, and his foot swung between the door and the wall, keeping it open. An eyebrow arched as he watched me through the crack, face empty of expression.

"We need to talk," He told me bluntly, and I winced. That was not a good voice.

"I guess we do. Should I ask you to come in, or do you plan to do that, anyway?" I snarked, scared down to my toes.

This did not bode well.


	7. Shatter

Author's Note: I'm a little stuck. I need feedback on this – should I do this in a flashback? Also, Tyler/Tiffy/Reid, or just Tyler/Tiffy?

Chapter Seven;

I glared at him from my bed, head tilted up, scowl forming on my lips, and terrified, down to the itty bitty bones in my toes. I focused on the least threatening one, the one I knew best, but I couldn't forget Caleb and Pogue standing behind him, faces as hard and flat as his. God. I'd seen the look on their faces before. The time Pogue had hit the guy for threatening his girlfriend. When Caleb had gotten into a huge fight with Reid and Tyler. When Reid had punched Arron Abbott's lights out for something. The common denominator was that bad things happened when the boys had those faces on.

"We've got some thing to ask you," Reid told me, voice flat. "And don't bother lying – we'll know."

I didn't gulp, or even blink as I bet his crystal blue eyes. "I don't like lies. You know that, even if Caleb and Pogue don't."

"Well, you sure lie a lot for someone who hates it," Pogue shot back, his voice angry. I flinched at the sound of it, wondering how the hell they had found out, and _which _lie they'd actually found out.

I shifted, tucking my legs under me, Indian-style. "Look, we've all got secrets and we've all told lies to each other. I'm not exactly the only sinner in the room."

Caleb lifted an eyebrow at me, "You're the only one who's legally changed her name, has a P.O box listed as her address and has almost no traceable paperwork."

My eyes went wide as he spoke. How the hell did they know all this stuff? With a frown, I let my mind drift back to the scene the other night. The black eyes, the broken-but-not-broken glass, the other weird stuff. Connection, there. Totally. "How'd y'all find out?"

"How about we ask the questions." Caleb's voice dropped like a stone, and I felt anger boil up from the fear. I so did not like being told what to do, and add in the terror that they were going to kill me, and you got one very unhappy chickie.

"Where do you get your lines – crappy cop dramas? I mean, seriously, can we come up with something better than campy Batman lines?" I snarled at him, knowing that I shouldn't antagonize people who were obviously Not Normal, but not being able to help it.

Reid jumped in before Caleb could snarl back at me. "Look, Tiffy, just answer the damn questions, okay? Nothing bad is gonna happen if you just co-operate."

I gave him a wild eyed look. "Did Reid fuckin' Gawain just ask me, me of all people, to co-operate with a group of boys who are _threatening me in my bedroom?" _

"This ain't workin', Caleb. We should just take what we need." Pogue interrupted as Reid narrowed his eyes at me.

Caleb locked his jaw, then glanced at Reid. "Is he right?"

Reid glared at me some more, then cast a glance at Caleb, eyes pleading. It kinda shocked me, 'cause Reid and Caleb had this whole rivalry thing going on, and they never asked each other for favors. "I need a few minutes alone with her, to talk to her, before we take any drastic measures."

I locked my eyes with Reid's, ignoring Caleb and Pogue as they shuffled out of the room. The door shut softly with a click, which was the polar opposite of Pogue's thunderous mood, but whatever. I wasn't going to lecture him on the etiquette of pissyness.

Reid did something wholly unexpected as the two brothers left. He yanked me into his arms, constricting me in a bone crushing hug that made me aware of his strength, no matter how little muscle he looked like he had. "You're a moron, you know that?"

There was the Reid I fucking knew. "I believe you've told me that on occasion, yes." I paused for a second, "Usually, though, I deserve it. Right now, I'm not sure I do."

He yanked me back – not a push, but a yank. His hands were still wrapped around my wrists in a bruising hold, which I had no doubt would show tomorrow. Time to break out the chunky goth bracelets. "You're deliberately annoying Caleb, pissing off Pogue, running your mouth off at me, and you've alienated Tyler, the only person who had a chance at holding back the other two." Reid snapped at me, "And you've been living a life full of secrets and lies, even from the people who would do anything to help you _if you had been honest._ How about that for moronic?"

"I'm not the only one, pretty boy. In fact, I'm gonna venture out here and say that you're holding more secrets than I am." I growled at him, "Jeez. You have fucking _black eyes _and who knows what else! All I do is turn invisible." And I just realized what was happening. I attempted to jerk my hands away, but his grip was too strong. "And you're manipulating me for answers, you prick! You're sitting here and lying to me and gettin' answers to your questions!"

He tossed my hands back and darted off the bed, crossing his arms and assuming his full height (which was a whole lot bigger than me, even when I wasn't sitting). "Only because you're too bull fucking headed to answer them straight!"

"Yeah, well, that's us Texas girls for ya! Bull headed when it come to protecting their secrets!" I was almost shouting now, up on my knees and glaring up (only a little, though, because we were almost even in height now...ha!) at him.

"Don't even try and pull that mask back into place, Tiffy." Reid bit out. "This has nothing to do with anything except your unwillingness to trust the people closest to you!"

Trust? He wanted me to _trust _him? "You want me to trust you! How about you tell me _your _secret and _then _I'll trust you with mine!" What a hypocrite! He..he..oooh! I want to just kill him!

He closed his eyes and took a heaving breath, as if gaining control. "Fine," He spoke through gritted teeth, opening his pale eyes on me again. "I'm a warlock, descended from a line of warlocks, all of whom are joining in a covenant to protect themselves, one that _I just fucking broke! Happy now?" _

"YES!" I shouted at him, swinging off the bed and crossing my arms at him. It was hard to look intimidating when I was on a bed with several fluffy, brightly colored pillows. I already had enough trouble in the bad ass looks department, thank you very much. "Now was that so flippin' bad?"

He stared at me for a second, eyebrow raised. "Considering I just spilled my lifelong secret to you in a fit of anger, I expect you to do the same."

Ha. Reid? Spill something in a fit of anger? He was the kind that threw punches, had random sex and got drunk. He didn't 'spill' secrets when he got angry. But hey, whatever. "I can turn invisible. I'm the only living person that I knew – until now – that could do something abnormal that I know. I don't have a group of brothers, or a covenant – just an insane stalker." Who, by the way, wants to sell me a brood mare, but let's wait to add that.

Reid stared at me for a second, "Well, that sure as hell explains a lot."

Wait one friggin' minute. "That's _it_? I tell you I can turn invisible, and all you can say is that _it explains a lot_?"

"Actually, I mean the insane stalker part," Reid corrected me. "Tyler and I had the hardest time getting you to trust us, and you were always a bit paranoid."

My eyes narrowed at him, and I managed to grit out, "Get your friends back in here before I tear your heart out, you jerk!"

His eyes went wide, "How am I the jerk? I'm downplaying it, trying to make it easier for you, and I'm a jerk? Gee, thanks." He grumbled the next part under his breath, and I couldn't hear him. Something told me I didn't want to.

Reid's POV

Reid exchanged a look with Caleb as he opened the door. Caleb, thankfully, got the hint – he didn't barge in and start asking questions. In fact, he even reached back and touched Pogue's arm, a staying motion if Reid guessed right. The blonde boy stepped to the side, letting his two Brothers shuffle in before shutting the door (and locking it with a hint of Power).

"So you guys are magic bunnies?" Tiffy asked rudely before Reid could open his mouth and warn his Brothers.

Reid gave a mental sign and resisted the urge to beat his head against the door. She was making this really, really hard. Still, Reid couldn't deny the relief that spread through him when he realized that Tiffy was getting back to her normal (sarcastic, rude, sexy, irritating, secretive, cute) self. He'd really missed her, those days that she'd avoided them all.

"Reid!" Caleb growled, face dark in fury as Tiffy's words set in. "What the fuck did you just do?"

"Look -" Reid was cut off, again, by Tiffy's irritated and slightly rude tone. She was afraid, and the more fearful she was, Reid was beginning to learn, the more offensive she became.

"Come on, pretty boy." Tiffy gave a snort, ignoring Pogue, who towered over the bed, as she swung her legs over the mattress and stood up. She was tiny, normally, but dwarfed by Pogue as she was...it would have been a sight Reid would usually find amusing, if, you know, both of their fates didn't lie with the girl's next words. "Y'all had to have known that other people with fucked up, freaky powers existed."

"Actually, no. We're the only people on Earth that are gifted like this." Except the fact that it was more of a curse, Reid mused, and that Chase wasn't one of the 'we're'. Still, he didn't correct the words that slipped out of his leader's mouth...God, did he just think of Caleb as his 'leader'? Ick.

"Aw, aren't you so cute and naïve," Tiffy mocked in a coo voice, the kind girls adapted when they slobbered over dogs and babies. Reid cringed; the voice sounded too sweet and not something he ever wanted to hear, from _anyone,_ ever again. "But in this case, someone needs to correct your huge case of ignorance."

With those parting words, Tiffy vanished from sight. Pogue reached out, fast as a whip, grabbing the air in front of him. His hands grabbed at nothing. "What the fuck?" The large male yelped, eyes flashing to black in anger. Pogue, the good muscle man that he was, did _not _like people escaping right in front of him. Hell, he even played hard ball when they had been kids playing hide and seek.

"Oh, do be quite, Tiny." Tiffy scoffed, and Reid almost rolled his eyes at the unimaginative nickname. She really was off her game today. "I'm not going to run, if only because the door is held closed by Reid."

"Come _on, _Tiffy. Stop playing games and talk to us." Reid demanded, wondering if the slight pleading entered into his voice or not. As much fun as he was having, watching Pogue and Caleb prowl around the room in a tiffy (no pun intended...oh hell, yes it was), Reid was afraid of what the other two Covenant members would do when they reached the end of their patience.

"Fine," She pouted, appearing on the bed again. "How's that, Boyscout? Are you assured that I won't spill your secret?" She shrugged cutely, "After all, if I spilled your secret, you'd spill mine, and no one wants that, now, do they?"

Caleb rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking torn for a second. Then he gave a big sign and gave up the badass gig (which was hard, since every member of the Covenant was something of a badass). "You know, I was prepared to come in here, hard ass and bad cop, force the truth out of you, and leave you with no memory. You aren't going to let that happen, are you?"

Oh, wow. Bluntness and logical reasoning. That was something new. Usually, Caleb just told them what to do, without a reason, as if he expected to be obeyed no matter what.

Tiffy responded in kind, "No, I don't plan to. Sure, I don't really want to know about your Boy's Club, and I could have done without knowledge of the magic thing, Now that I know, though, I don't intended to give what I've learned up." She sniffed, "Especially not that you know my secret. Geez, I need some insurance that you'll keep your mouth shut."

Reid mentally cringed again as Pogue scowled. Not the best thing to say. "You would never even know we wiped your memory." He leaned close to her, eyes flashing with brimstone and black fire. "Of course, we can just kill you, instead."

Tiffy did something then that both terrified and made Reid freakishly proud. She met Pogue's eyes and said in a dead voice, "I've had men threaten me with things hundreds of times worse than that." Then she smirked.

Pogue glared down at her, still hard and unforgiving. Ever since Chase had cursed Kate with the spiders, he'd been way over the top about protection. "Even the weakest of us can make you live your worst nightmare, over and over again, with no release, with no end. Just a loop of hellish sensation and images and feelings." A sadistic smile crossed his face, "Stop trying to be brave, Tiffy. I can _taste _your fear."

Tiffy had a fine shake in her by that point, Reid noticed, and he straighted up, slowly moving over to the bed. _"Leave her be, Pogue."_

Pogue's head titled to the side, and his eyes fell to a flat black, the true color of Power, instead of the dramatic effect he'd conjured. _"Give me one good reason, Reid, to leave a threat in existence."_

"_How about, because it's not your job to take care of threats – it's Caleb's? Or because its Tiffy, and we both know she would never harm us?" _Reid thought back, slapping the mental connection shut after that last pointed thought, not wanting to absorb anything else from Pogue.

"He's right, Pogue – this isn't your job. Plus, if Reid says she means no harm, then I true him." Caleb spoke up verbally. Reid was the only one of the Brothers that could open the mental correspondence – the others could listen in if they tried hard enough, or answer if the connection was to their own mind, but they couldn't open a connection. That was his specialty.

"What are y'all talking about?" Tiffy asked, but no one had time to answer.

Someone pounded on the door, and a female voice yelled through, "Let me in the damn room, Tiffany! I need my books!"

Tiffy's POV

The three boys stopped in their tracks, head swiveling towards the door in a type of motion that my pet cat had used. The only difference was that it fit these boys a lot better than it had fit my cat. Scary thought...except in a room full of Scary Not Normal people, it really wasn't that scary. God, I am so totally no coherent now. "Ignore her – she'll go away eventually."

Reid shrugged and moved his attention back to me, but door cracked open just as he opened his mouth. He froze, just as Caleb and Pogue did, and swung his attention back to the door. Kyra stood in the doorway, Tyler behind her. Her expression went from annoyed to shocked after a second. "Holy shit. Were you having a fucking threesome in my _bedroom ?" _

"Why, yes, Kyra. Where else would I have one, the courtyard?" I responded without thinking, glad to focus on the girl and not, say, Tyler, who looked furious, or the three other boys around me, who all had blank faces (probably, since I only caught a glimpse of Reid's). "And besides, it'd be a foursome, since there are _four _of us, not three."

Kyra's face got stormy, "God, you're such a bitch." She sniffed. "Wonder what Kate and Sarah think of you and their boyfriends all screwing each other."

Tyler stepped into the room past her and picked up her backpack, laying a bright red box on the table, along with a few letters. "Here you go, Kyra. Now leave."

She shot him a glare, then turned and stomped off. "All of you are assholes, you know." She gave the parting shot over her shoulder and slammed the door. Tyler only _just _stepped out of the way, to avoid getting him.

There was silence for a few seconds, then Tyler asked, rather calmly, give the pissed off look on his face, "What are you three doing here?"

Reid gave a sigh and plopped on the bed. "Sorry, Baby Boy, but I wanted to be sure before I told you." He rubbed the back of his neck. I've never seen Reid look apologetic or shameful, and I never thought I would, but damn, hell must have frozen over at that moment.

"Your girlfriend is the ghost you ran into the other night," Pogue cut in, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and slap him upside the head for his tactlessness. Normally, of course, I would have, or at least asked Kate to, but a, Kate wasn't here and b, he was likely to blow my head off at the moment, so, uh, nope, no head slap.

Tyler was silent for a second, then his jaw locked and his eyes fell flat. "Makes sense," He said after a moment of (I guess) hard thinking. "All the signs fit."

I rolled my eyes at him, angry at him for not giving the benefit of the doubt. "What _signs? _Last time I checked, I didn't _give _any signs because I didn't _go _invisible since I _met _the lot of you!"

"You wormed your way into our group perfectly, made us trust you. You hid who you were. You found the weakest member of the group and targeted him." Tyler snorted, "Last time I checked, those were signs."

"Okay, to start with?" I pointed a finger at him, annoyed, "You were the one that took me into your little group. Second? I hid who I was because people are _hunting _me. Plus, you know, you hid who _you _really were, so maybe it was y'all who were the ones to be wary of. Three? There _is _no weak member of this group, at least when compared to me. I turn _invisible, _but I have no actual offensive talents. I can't even fight! So yeah, there really isn't any signs."

Tyler opened his mouth, but Reid interrupted whatever it was that the youngest member of the group was going to say. "Tyler, why don't we let her _explain _before we start accusing?" Then he frowned, "And damn, but I never thought I'd hear those words leave my mouth."

"Second to that," Caleb muttered, and Pogue snorted, "Third."

Tyler closed his eyes. "Fine. Then explain."

I sucked in a deep breath, then exhaled. "Since y'all'll find out anyway, I might as well tell you the whole story." My eyes closed, and I held back a shudder, jumping when a warm arm surrounded my shoulders. I jerked my gaze to Reid, surprised. What the hell? It was like everyone had jumped bodies, because last time I checked, Tyler was the one to comfort and Reid was the one to play hardball.

"I'm a jackass, but I'm not a prick." He told me, as if reading my mind. "Besides, the others are being assholes enough. Now tell your damn story because my arm is getting tired."

Aw, and there was the good ol' Reid. I smiled and leaned against him, closing my eyes as I thought back. God, but it had seemed so long ago. "It started when I was eleven – the invisible thing. I've gathered, over the years, that it started the day I became a woman, the day that I was technically no longer a child."

Reid's POV

Reid kept his face a stone mask as he listened to her speak. He was a little amazed that she had begun experiencing her powers so early, but that was the way life worked – totally unfair and no fun at all. "I couldn't control it, at first, because strong emotions triggered it. My mother and I were living alone at the time, in this fucked up little shack down in Dallas. She was a...well, she wasn't exactly the type of mother that the blue blooded students at this school have, let me put it that way. Still, she had managed to land a steady paycheck as a waitress, at least for the time being, and she had snared a wealthy businessman, who was...you know what, I'm going to fast forward. This is the boring part."

Reid wanted to tell her to go with the long story, but he could tell that she really didn't want to. "Anyway, I gained control of my powers, just in time for my mother to get back from her honeymoon. Now, put yourself in her place – her ungrateful daughter was a freak, and her new husband wasn't exactly Prince Charming. She knew he wouldn't stay with her if it came out that her genetics were fucked up. So, of course, she had him ship me off to boarding school, to 'fix' the problem." She smiled softly, as if reliving the wonderful memory of escaping her house. "And now, now the stage is set for perfection."

"In school – Saint Lisbeth's Manor for Troubled Teenagers – I had a roommate named Joy. She and her twin brother, Jesse, became my best friends. They and their sister and guardian, Diana, were the only three people in the world, besides my mother, who knew what I could do, and vise versa." She hesitated, and Reid thought he knew why. He waited for her to say it, though. No use in pressuring people.

"Joy and Jesse...they had the twin thing." She admitted, then jerked her chin up, glaring at Pogue and Caleb, who were right in front of her. "They _weren't _evil, though. They and there sister _helped _people." Her eyes closed in pain. "Diana was into the whole save the world thing. She had this homeless shelter she volunteered in...I can only guess that she met Him there. She...she brought him home, which was stupid but kind, because the shelter didn't have a place for him. She couldn't stand to see someone suffer, she was just that kind. In the end, it probably killed her."

"Joy and Jesse invited me back to their place that summer, for the the holiday. I was...recovering from a bad breakup, and my mother refused to allow me home. They didn't believe that I should be alone...So I went with them. The homeless man was still staying there, looking old and frail and weak, and I never suspected..." She swallowed, lost in memory. "He saw me go invisible, and offered me a job. Told me I could make a lot of money, just doing what came natural. I refused. I didn't – don't – want to hurt people, either physically or mentally."

"Then Diana didn't come back one night, but the old man did. He told us that Diana was with Jackson, her boyfriend, and we believed him." She closed her eyes as if in pain and curled back into Reid, who held her tighter, thinking bloody thoughts about many, many people. "We were so _**stupid **_back then! We were sixteen, thought we were invincible. We believed our powers would protect us, that the old man was nothing more than what he seemed."

She gave a chocking laugh. "Then, that night, Joy bolted upright in bed and _screamed. _Not like those movie screams...this was something that you can't _explain. _It was like her heart was being torn out of her friggin' chest. She kept clutching her heart and screaming and screaming. God." Her head was now buried in Reid's shoulder, and while he felt perverse for it, Reid couldn't help but feel slightly triumphant that she was in _his _arms and not inTyler's. He glanced up and met Pogue's disapproving glare, but ignored it.

"He came in through the door, and he had a heart in his hand. A heart. Jesse's heart. It was..." She took a deep breath, and Reid massaged a hand up and down her back, his own heart clenching in fury. How dare anyone frighten their girl like this. "He was _dead _and Joy was dying on the inside, but her body kept living. And he smiled at me and he told me that he'd kill Diana if I didn't agree to do what he said. Except that Diana was probably already dead and I stopped _caring _about anything else."

"I was a coward that day. He gave me a twenty four hour period to think, and I acted like a normal person instead of a brave person. I went home, my mother provided me with a name change and I went into hiding for a year. Then I transferred here from public school, and I just want to stay hidden, because I know he's going to do more than tear my heart. He's going to do much worse, and then I'll be like Joy and dead but alive and then not even that and I can't do that, not ever again, especially now that I have you and Tyler and a reason to live and I really don't want to fucking die!"

Reid clutched her to his chest as she shook, wishing she would cry. Crying women he could deal with. Women who refused to cry and just...collapsed on the inside? He had no idea how to deal with that. Instead, he raised his eyes to Caleb, then Pogue, who looked sad for the girl, probably feeling her terror even through his shields. _"Tyler and I can handle her now." _His mental voice was sharper than intended, but whatever, it got the job done.

Caleb dipped his head, leaving the room without a comment, always the silent one. Pogue, on the other hand, reached out and touched Tiffy's head softly, eyes compassionate. He was always the protector, and if Tiffy wasn't an enemy, then she was a friend and worth protecting. Then he was gone, and Tyler was sitting on the bed, on Tiffy's other side, running his hands through her hair just the way she liked, the way that he did when she had crept into their room in fear and needed comfort.

Reid met Tyler's eyes over Tiffy's head, and a realization seemed to snap in Tyler's mind as his eyes widened. A second lated, an understanding was created. Tiffy was the one who needed them, and at the moment, everything else was on pause.


	8. Relatively Normal

Author's Note : If anyone is all like, 'but the secrets spilled out wayyyy too fast', think for a moment. Reid would have no problem wiping Tiffy's mind if need be, and really, he's smart (at least my version of Reid is), which means that he knows Tiffy wouldn't spill. Why? Because they know her secret, which doesn't involve mind wiping, which means she's more likely to be outed as Not Normal, rather than them, if anything happened. That's my reasoning, at least.

As for Tiffany's side...you might have several problems. So far, she hasn't been the type of girl to just break down, or at least I hope not. I've been trying to paint her as emotionally tough, if physically weak, which she is, despite the crappy way I've described said aspects of Tiffy (I'm better at bad ass characters with kick ass ability). She's also really closed mouth about her past, which you haven't seen in action, but that's the way she is.

Well, she's half in love with Tyler at the moment (or is it Reid...hmmm...), and wanted to prove that she wasn't out to kill them all, that she wasn't using them. Plus, she trusts Tyler and Reid (if not Caleb and Pogue), which means she felt she could spill, even if unconsciously. Now, imagine all those memories, and then a girl who's been forced to be tough, but is a big softie inside. Add in the fact that NO ONE, not even her mother, knows what happened, and put her in the arms of someone who actually listens, rare as that is, and you've got the formula for a mental breakdown of massive proportion.

On a personal note...is my writing style distinctive, or is it pretty normal?

Chapter 8

I took another deep breath and focused, pushing back the angerfearsadnessterror and centering my mind. My eyes opened and I pulled back from Reid's chest, only to push closer into Tyler. I was twisted sideways in Reid's lap, so that my legs hung off the bed and my face was pressed into him. Tyler was at my back, hands passing through my hair and twisting my hair into braids. The feeling was comforting, as was the song Reid was humming under his breath, though he'd probably deny humming it later. Still, as comforting as it was, I was also confused. Tyler I understood – he was the compassionate one, the one who gave out candy to kids and hugs to crying girls.

Reid, though? He hit on crying girls, punched out people's light without a second thought and was generally Not a Nice Guy. He didn't even treat Sarah and Kate (or me, for that matter) with the respect that the rest of the boys treated them with. He was more than likely to slap one of us girls on the ass if he thinks he can't get away with it, or if he wants to irritate his best friends (Brothers, I guess). Why, then, had he stayed in my room and let me cry into his shirt? Well, shake, not cry, but whatever.

"'S 'cause you're important to me, idiot." Reid muttered, shifting his gaze from the door, which he'd been staring blankly at, to me. "Also, I'm hoping to get some suga' for this." He added the last as a joke, though it was half-hearted at best.

"Stop being so crude," Tyler grunted, "Now, how're ya holding up, princess?"

I twisted my head from Reid to Tyler, giving the younger boy a long look, followed by a slow blink. "'Princess'? Freaking 'princess'? You choose a darn nickname for me, and you choose 'princess', despite the fact that I'm the least feminine person in the group?"

Reid chuckled and I was close enough to feel the vibrations travel along my spine. It made me shiver. "No, I think you're the most feminine person in the group – or, well, maybe you're right. Tyler is kinda a girl, isn't it?'

Tyler scowled and I snickered. "I'm not the one who has a full closet and twenty hair products on my side of the sink, Reid."

"I have to look impressive for the ladies," Reid defended himself, a pout in his voice. "Not that you'd know anything about that – you're still too young for that, aren't ya, baby boy?"

I was out and out smirking now, my giggling being held back by sheer strength of will. "Ya know, here's where I bring up a, you have to spend hours getting ready for the girls. I just roll out of bed and they love me." Tyler smirked, "And b, Tiffy's younger than me, so she's the one that's too young for that kinda thing."

I lost the battle and began giggling out loud, which was probably what they'd wanted, those manipulative bastards. Oh well; it felt good to laugh after days of being miserable. "You've accomplished you're goals, guys. No need to go on any longer."

"Aw, but I was just about to hit my stride," Reid whined, and I turned to roll my eyes at his pleading expression.

"Darlin', you hit your stride a few years back," I pointed out, "And it didn't do you much good then. What makes you think it's gonna make a difference now?" And here was the beauty of Reid and to a lesser extend of Tyler – I'd have to explain my insult and the double meaning behind it to most people. Reid? He just got it. It was like we thought the same way. Most of the time, Tyler caught it too, but sometimes, like now, it escaped him. Reid, on the other hand, gave a small laugh.

"You know what?" Tyler asked rhetorically, "I'm not even going to ask about this one."

This caused Reid and me to lock eyes and smile at each other again."So, to answer your earlier question, Ty, I'm doin' perfectly fine, or as well as can be expected." And I swear, it had nothing to do with the fact that a gorgeous blonde was facing me and an equally sexy brunette was at my back.

…

Yeah, I don't believe myself, either.

Reid's POV

"The key phrase in that sentence is 'as can be expected'." Tyler stated, "And that's just not good enough for the two of us." Then baby boy yanked on her forming braid. "And sit still, will ya? I can't finish this up if you keep squirming."

Tiffy turned back around to face Reid, who moved closer and rested her forehead on his shoulder. Tyler could still reach her hair from there and Reid wasn't about to fight the urge to have her in his arms, at least for today. After all, it might just be the last time he'd get to touch her as anything more (if only a little bit) than a friend. "Reid's right – you're such a girl sometimes."

Tyler rolled his eyes at his best friend (Reid, not Tiffy, in this case). "Yeah, well, I started it, and I like to finish things that I start, even if it's just a brain." There was the sound of a rubber band popping and a small surge of Power. Tyler musta've transformed something into a rubber band for Tiffy's hair. "There. Done."

Reid didn't give her a chance to move before he lifted her by the waist. Used to the drill and manhandling, Tiffy didn't struggle or make it hard for him as he picked her up and set her to face Tyler. Reid kept her in his lap, though. "So, what can we do to make you feel better than 'expected'?" Reid asked after a second, chin settling on the top of her head.

"Unless you can somehow manage to erase all my bad memories and bring Jessie and Joy and Diane back from the dead, then no." Tiffy shivered, though this time, Reid was sure that it wasn't from his sex appeal.

"I can get rid of the memories," Reid began.

"But we can do nothing about the death." Tyler shook his head mournfully. "Resurrection is something that takes a soul to do, and the Covenant doesn't practice soul transformations anymore."

Tiffy was silent for a second, then, "I was joking, but...can you really erase memories? And bring people back, if you really wanted?"

Reid sighed, taking the role of leader. Sure, he wasn't the leader of the Covenant, but he was the oldest member in the room at the moment, so everything fell to him. "I'm sure you've read books and watched movies where wizards and witches had limits, things they couldn't do. We aren't like that. There's no real drawback from the Power, except the fact that we age faster, since it's tied to our life force. If you've got enough life force – life energy – then you can pretty much do anything."

Tiffy turned a little to look at him, and Reid paused for a second, looking her straight in the eye. "I could erase your memories with merely a touch of my finger. This is my talent; a Talent is something that requires very little life energy from the user. Tyler has Knowledge – he's able to recall any piece of information, any memory, since the age of five, sometimes before then. Caleb is the leader, and he's got a Talent for War and Defense. He has a natural affinity for shields and magic blasts." Defense was from Caleb's father, had been his Talent, but now it was Caleb's. "Pogue is the Empath of the group – he feels what you're feelings and can control it."

Reid wasn't sure why he was telling her all of this. She hadn't, after all, asked about which Powers the boys could control best. She's just asked about memories and resurrections. Still, Reid felt better telling her all of it, for some odd reason. "Together, as a group of four, we could destroy the world with a mere snap of our fingers, our Power is that great. The draw-back would be that we would be extremely old, but we'd still have destroyed the Earth."

Tiffy was silent for a second, "So, for all intents and purposes, you four are pretty much the most powerful people on the earth?"

"Well, no." Tyler corrected her, and Tiffy turned her head to stare at him. "Our father's have the same Power, at least those that are alive. They have as much Power as we do; the only difference, when compared to us, is that we have a longer span of time to Use the magic." He struggled to explain, "Our ability to Use is connected to our age. Every time we Use, we age, just a little. In a fight, assuming, of course, that the members are all the same, Power-wise, the younger one would win. He has a longer way to go before his body gives out on him."

"Which means that no, our fathers are just as Powerful..." Reid summarized. "And, of course, Caleb is the most Powerful of the four of us and of the three older generation, so really, if we're the only four bloodlines able to Use the Power...then Caleb is the most powerful person in the world."

"But he'd a good guy," Tyler added in, seeing Tiffy's wide eyes, "And he wouldn't try to destroy the world." Unless, of course, Reid thought, he went insane, or something devastating happened to drive him to commit evil. He didn't say anything, though; Tiffy looked freaked enough as it was.

Tiffy gave a groan and collapsed back against Reid's chest (and yeah, so maybe that turned him on a bit, but whatever). "You know what? I'm done for today. This is way too much for me to process right now."

Tyler smiled gently and gave her hand a squeeze, "You'll get used to it, I swear." Then the younger boy smiled mischievously, "Or we could have Reid erase your memory, and you'll never have to know?" He made the last part a half-joking question.

"Not funny!" Tiffy yelped, sitting up and glaring at him.

"No fuc-freaking way!" Reid snapped at the same time, and a silence fell over the room.

Then Tyler smirked and chuckled, "Aw, look, you're like an old married couple, speaking at the same time and saying the same thing."

Reid glared at him, and Tiffy reached out to smack him across the head. Tyler caught her hand, though, and jerked her towards him, bolting out at the last moment, so that Tiffy hit the bed face first. Then he grabbed her hands and anchored them above her head, letting a now-amused Reid dance him fingers against her sides.

"No! Stop it!" Tiffy shrieked. Not many people knew it, but she was horribly ticklish, to the point that she'd wet herself after a while (well, not really, but hyperboles made everything more fun). Reid had discovered it when he'd had to get her out of _his _passenger seat in the Hummer. "Let me _go_!"

"Not until you apologize," Tyler teased, smirking as he held his head upside down and looked her in the eye. "For keeping secrets and not trusting us."

Heh, so maybe Baby Boy really was angry over not being trusted by the girl, Reid thought, then let Tiffy go when she shrieked out, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Oh God, let me go!"

Reid collapsed on the bed, shoulders propped against the wall as he waited for Tiffy to stop wiggling around and laughing. Finally, Tyler joined the wall beside him, and Tiffy tossed herself across both of their legs. "We okay now, Tiff?" Reid asked after a second, reaching down and pulling a little on her braid.

She sighed and nodded, "Yeah, we're fine now." Read, I'm fine now. "Thanks, y'all."

"Was the least we could do," Tyler added, poking her in the side once more and smiling as she shrieked.

"'Sides, we couldn't let you be in a morose mood for when we went out tonight, could we?" Reid deadpanned, making the plans on the spot. Tyler, however, was working on the same wave length and didn't ask 'what plans', like some other -cough-CalebandPogue-cough- people might.

Tiffy was silent for a second, then grumbled, "Why am I always the last to know, dammit? And why can't you two, for once, ask me?"

"That's 'cause you're the puny moral, Tiffy. Didn't you know?" Reid asked, and dodged the punch with a laugh of relief. Everything was back to normal (for them) and Tiffy was no longer moping. Despite the problems he and Tyler were going to be having from now on, at least their girl was okay.


End file.
